


Shattered Roses

by thebrightestbling



Category: NCT, WAYV
Genre: AU, Angst, Fluff, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-31
Updated: 2020-04-30
Packaged: 2021-02-28 16:49:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 20,459
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23410480
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thebrightestbling/pseuds/thebrightestbling
Summary: Pricked by thorns, one should not desire the mesmerizing bloom
Relationships: Dong Si Cheng | WinWin/Nakamoto Yuta, Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun/Kim Jungwoo, Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun/Lee Taeyong, Kim Jungwoo/Wong Yuk Hei | Lucas, Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Mark Lee
Kudos: 8





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So, this is gonna be my first NCT fic and I can tell you, I'm excited!
> 
> I've slid into the fandom last december and couldn't be happier at this point. I really got a lot of inspiration from our lovely boys and I hope I can satisfy all of you with it.
> 
> Also, there will be a secret couple that's gonna be revealed eventually, so stay tuned!  
>    
> I guess theres nothing more to say? Have fun!

After three persistent knocks, the door finally opened, a white head peaking outside.

„Good morning, breakfast is ready.“

There was a sigh. „I forgot it's saturday.“

„Of course you did.“

The person at the door was smiling, though his tone of voice felt deceiving.

„I'll be there in a bit.“

The owner of the room was about to turn back, but his visitor kept standing there. His smile had turned even brighter; almost scary.

„What?“

The sound of shuffling in the background broke the silence, drawing another sigh.

„How did you know?“

„The shoes.“

„Of course, the shoes.“

He should have known. He should have absolutely known.

„Wake up Mark before you come down. You know he's a sleepyhead.“

„Taeyong, I kind of... don't have time for that right now.“

Taeyong raised his eyebrows. „You will after you've sent him home. Make sure to hurry, the food is getting cold.“

And with that, the conversation had ended; at least from Taeyong's perspective. He had already turned around, leaving his friend standing there with an open mouth and a startled expression.

To his surprise, Taeyong stopped in his tracks after a few steps.

„Oh and Yuta, please make sure your guest cleans his shoes next time. Getting that much dirt out of the doormat isn't as easy as you might think.“

Yuta bit his lip as he watched Taeyong walk down the stairs. He could hear him humming in delight; probably from exposing Yuta this early in the morning.

But as much as he was irritated after getting called out, he still ended up laughing.

After all, they always got along so well.

Everyone did, thanks to Taeyong.

***

Taeyong often wondered how he had ended up in this crazy household.

In the beginning there had been the simple idea of moving together with his best friend Doyoung, so he wouldn't feel so alone. Seoul was a busy city which could get tiring, but Taeyong had refused to live by himself without anyone he could talk to; anyone he could share his thoughts with and enjoy this new chapter of life.

Who could have known that one would led to another and more people would join their apartment until they had to move to a bigger one in order to have enough space.

Taeyong wasn't one to decline and he definitely didn't regret it. After his good friend Jaehyun had agreed to move in as well, other people had come to mind and now after settling into their biggest place yet, Taeyong couldn't be more satisfied.

He had assigned everyone to their rooms himself and even thought about leaving some space for future applicants. Not that they were actively looking for people, because Taeyong knew that there would eventually be someone who was in need of a place to stay.

„Ah, Jungwoo. Good morning.“

When Taeyon got back into the kitchen, Jungwoo had already taken a seat. His eyes were glued to the food in front of him, causing Taeyong to laugh.

„You don't have to wait.“ After ruffling Jungwoo's blond hair, Taeyong went into the kitchen to get some necessities out of the drawers.

“But I want to.”

Jungwoo's soft voice made Taeyong smile. He thought it was amusing and one of Jungwoo's unique traits.

Taeyong felt eager to get to know him even more. Jungwoo was the newest addition to their family after all.

“Morning.”

Another person had entered the dining area with a tired but genuine smile. It was Jaehyun, dressed in a lose shirt and some dark sweatpants. Jungwoo greeted with a smile of his own before going back to staring down the delicious food.

“You always cook so much, hyung.”

“Because you eat so much, Jungwoo,” Taeyong answered as he came back to the table, placing some napkins.

“It's not just me,” Jungwoo defended himself, his lips forming a slight pout.

“But you are definitely our best eater,” someone else interfered with a wide grin as he took the place next to Jaehyun at the table.

“Johnny, good morning.” Jaehyun turned to his friend immediately, noticing two other figures at the door.

“Ah, Mark, you are awake,” Taeyong noticed.

“How could I not? Yuta was basically throwing me out of bed.”

“I did not! Don't be so dramatic.”

“Guys, no fighting.”

“We would never,” they assured, perfectly in sync.

Taeyong snickered. It was nice that Johnny would occasionally try to be another parent figure, but in the end, he could get just as silly as everyone else.

They were gathering one by one, getting more and more playful along the way. Taeyong was silently watching from the sideline with a content smile. He enjoyed the bickering; it felt like home.

Then again, he was home.

“Where's Lucas?”, he asked after everyone else had taken their seats. Even Taeil had managed to get out of bed, which was rather impressive. Usually he would take much longer, especially if Haechan would join in sleeping in.

Maybe putting the oldest and youngest together wasn't the best idea when it came to waking up early. At least they got along extremely well, which had been the deciding factor in letting them share a room.

“He has a fotoshoot this morning,” Johnny explained. He knew because he was Lucas' roommate. “Might take a while.”

Taeyong sighed. Everyone always made an effort in being there on Saturdays, but sometimes it just wasn't an option.

“Keep the leftovers. He's gonna be hungry when he comes home.”

They all knew Lucas would. Even as a model, he would eat just as much as Jungwoo sometimes.

And when they finally decided to eat, Jungwoo was definitely the one who enjoyed it the most. The positive feedback was one reason why Taeyong didn't mind cooking for so many people. But not just Taeyong, because Doyoung would also spend a lot of time in the kitchen whenever he could, and even though Jaehyun was already working as a chef, he never got tired of creating a delicious meal for his friends.

“Do we have plans for today?”, Haechan wanted to know as he swallowed another piece of egg. Everyone was indulging in their food, but Taeyong knew that this was a question everyone would eventually get curious about.

Saturdays were more than just big gatherings in the morning.

“Not yet. Maybe we could collect some ideas.”

And suddenly, everyone looked up from their filled plate to share their wishes. In a matter of seconds, it had turned into a screaming contest.

The only person not participating was Mark. By the looks of it, he was trying his best to stay awake.

“Zoo! Zoo!”, Haechan yelled with full force for the umpteenth time. His voice was by far the most tedious one and it was hard to ignore someone with such persistence.

“Zoo sounds good. We could spend some time there and then cook something together,” Doyoung suggested.

“I want to help cooking!” Jungwoo's face immediately lit up, his hand high up in the air as he started bouncing around in his chair. It was such an adorable view; no wonder Doyoung kept insisting on calling him a puppy.

“Mark, what do you think?”, Taeyong wanted to know.

Mark blinked in confusion after hearing his name. “Sounds good. I'm in.”

Taeyong nodded, though his eyes didn't leave his younger friend even after Mark had gone back to eating. The latter clearly wasn't following the conversation.

“So, does everyone agree?”

A wave of “yes!” and visible nods were the answer. It wasn't always easy to satisfy every single person, but a quick trip to the zoo should do the trick for today.

The joyful chatters and excited faces were proof that Taeyong's way of leading this household was working. They just needed someone in charge; someone who was able to keep order while trying his best to please everyone.

“Haechan, Jungwoo, take care of the dishes. Yuta, you come with me.”

They groaned in sync, making everyone else laugh. Yuta didn't even question why Taeyong was targeting him today.

At least he had managed to eat breakfast before receiving his punishment. Inviting someone over without permission was never a good idea, especially if it happened behind Taeyong's back.

He would always find out. Always.

And when Yuta thought it couldn't get any worse, Taeyong led him into his room, closing and locking the door.

“Look, I'm really sorry I didn't tell you.”

Maybe apologizing right away would ease the situation.

“I hope you know this is not the reason why I got you a single room.”

Or maybe Taeyong really wanted to scold his friend. In that case, Yuta was screwed.

“I know.” Yuta heaved a sigh. Already tired of this conversation, he plopped down on Taeyong's bed. “But maybe you should try to understand me too.”

“I'm listening.”

Taeyong didn't look mad. He never did and Yuta knew he rarely got angry at anyone.

“I know you are the mom here, but this is a private matter.”

Yuta looked up as Taeyong had joined him on the bed. The latter's expression felt so familiar; it was that kind of look a mother would show before lecturing her beloved child.

She never wanted to, but she had to.

“You can do whatever you feel like, Yuta. Just make sure nobody is affected by it.”

Somehow, Yuta would have preferred to get yelled at. Now he had to deal with something worse; guilt.

“You are judging me, aren't you?”, Yuta wanted to know, even though he already knew the answer. Taeyong was just so easy to read.

“I'm not.”

“Of course you are. You are giving me that look.”

“Yuta, no. I... I just don't understand. That's all.”

At this point, Taeyong had decided to break eye-contact. He felt uneasy going into this kind of direction.

“I know you don't. You don't have to.”

But Taeyong's head did turn back eventually. There was something on his mind; something he was wondering about for quite some time now. “Do _you_?”

For the second time this day, Yuta got startled. He stared, unable to register the situation. “What?”

“Yuta, if you need someone to talk to, I-”

“No,” Yuta cut him off. His expression had turned hard. “I just want some privacy.”

Taeyong knew he had gone too far. If Yuta got defensive, it was basically over.

“Okay. I'm sorry.”

Yuta had been one of the more worrying people since joining their group. He was a waiter for the restaurant Jaehyun was working at and this was exactly how Yuta and Taeyong had met. Jaehyun had noticed his struggles of finding a place and somehow, Taeyong had been intrigued the minute Yuta had set foot into their apartment.

Taeyong liked people who were different. Yuta was very different, but to a point where it was hard to get too close to him. Not that he wasn't a good friend; Yuta just kept a lot to himself.

It was the reason Taeyong had granted him one of the single rooms. He had thought Yuta would feel more comfortable like this, but it had slowly turned into a problem.

Because Yuta didn't want to be alone; it was actually quite the opposite.

“I'm gonna pack some snacks for the zoo. I assume you are still coming?” Taeyong was on his way out but still turned back, waiting for an answer. As much as he had probably hurt his friend, Taeyong hoped that he would still participate in today's activity.

“Of course. I wouldn't miss it for anything.”

There was the smile Taeyong had been waiting for. It wasn't as bright as he was used to from Yuta, but at least they could forget about their conversation and enjoy the rest of the day.

Maybe one day, Taeyong would be able to break down the walls and properly take care of his friend. Until then, he just had to try his best.

***

“Haechan, are you-”

Johnny stopped in his tracks after opening the door to Mark's room. The person he was looking for was sitting on the bed, his finger pressed against his lips. Johnny quietly nodded after realizing the situation.

Mark was sleeping peacefully at the desk, his face resting on an open book.

Haechan sent Johnny a quick look, then grabbed one of the pillows and urged him over to help. Johnny understood and assisted the younger one with placing the pillow under Mark's head, so he could sleep more comfortably. Carrying him over to his bed would have probably woken him up.

“He wanted to study some more and knocked out”, Haechan explained after they had left the room. Johnny nodded.

“He really needs some rest.”

“What about today?”, Haechan asked. “We can't just leave him here all alone, can we?”

“We should,” Johnny sighed. “He's probably gonna hate it, but he needs to sleep. He's working way too hard.”

“I know you are right, but... I don't want him to miss out. I wish he would stop pushing himself so hard.”

Johnny put an arm around Haechan's shoulder to lead him along the hallway and into the living area. It was a big, open space with an even bigger couch in the center and countless pillows surrounding it. Especially on days like these where they would hang out together, the couch just wasn't enough for all of them. With the right amount of cushion and carpet however, the floor felt just as comfortable.

They were the only one's right now, since everyone else was preparing for their trip.

“I know what you mean. I just don't understand why he is doing it.”

“Because he doesn't want to live off his parents,” Haechan explained after getting comfortable on the couch. He leaned back, his gaze wandering around the room. “I feel the same.”

“You do?”

“Yeah. I mean we are always together and I get so much motivation from him. How does he have so much energy? Aish!” Frustrated, Haechan ruffled his hair. “But I couldn't do it like him. I couldn't work until late at night and still get good grades.”

And still, Haechan felt guilty for not doing so. Of course he would compare himself to Mark all the time, since they spent a lot of time together. They were living in the same apartment, they were studying the same subject, they had been best friends since forever.

The only difference was that Mark was working a lot in between.

Even without having to work, university felt like hell. Haechan didn't understand.

“Can't you talk to him? He doesn't listen to me.”

“I can try, but you know it has to be his own decision,” Johnny said.

He was right, but Haechan kept holding onto the tiniest bit of hope. He was getting more worried each day.

“Wait, were you looking for me earlier?”, Haechan suddenly remembered.

“Ah, yeah. I wanted to ask if you would take care of the groceries with me. Like, after the Zoo.”

“Sure. We can do that.” Haechan shuffled closer to lean his head against Johnny's upper arm, his eyes falling shut. “In a moment.”

Johnny laughed and let himself be used as a pillow. They were all familiar with Haechan's level of affection and Johnny didn't mind. Sometimes it was necessary to get some physical proximity in order to function properly. As far as Johnny knew, they were all living a single life.

“Come on, let's go.”

“Hey!” Dissatisfied with the disappearance of his human pillow, Haechan propped himself up and stretched. He really needed to get ready now, or they would just go without him.

“Hyung, wait for me!”

***

“Woah!”

Jungwoo's eyes turned big at the sight of aquariums. He was scooting around, his gaze just as frantic and all over the place as he tried to see as many displays as possible.

“Hyung, look! It's so colorful!”

The excitement was overtaking Jungwoo's body and caused multiple snickers around him. Not only Taeil – the one Jungwoo kept clinging to – was amused by his friend's actions; other visitors seemed to like it as well.

The group had decided to split and Jungwoo had been more interested in underwater life than watching some giraffes chewing on a bunch of leaves. No, this wasn't the type of entertainment he was looking for.

Taeil, Jaehyun, Doyoung and Lucas were present as well, much to Jungwoo's delight. He would never admit having favorites inside the apartment, but right now he felt pretty satisfied with the people around him.

Jungwoo loved to be affectionate with Taeil. The oldest was just so easy-going and well-receiving that Jungwoo couldn't hold back. He didn't have a reason to.

Doyoung had become his caretaker since his arrival in the group. He wasn't too much into physical affection, but Jungwoo still liked to depend on him and absolutely loved sharing a room with him. He felt very comfortable around Doyoung and never held back on opening up to him.

Because Jungwoo was quite new, he hadn't gotten a chance to get close to certain people, including Jaehyun and Lucas. It didn't mean that he wasn't fond of the idea; it was actually the opposite. Lucas had caught his eye immediately and Jungwoo almost felt shy around him.

Jaehyun was a rather quiet person, which didn't go well with Jungwoo's personality. He was unsure about approaching him, even though he didn't have any problems being around Taeil. The difference between the two would be that Jaehyun had this strong aura around him. Jungwoo couldn't tell what it was, but it kept him on distance.

“Are there stingrays over there? Can we pet them?!”

Jungwoo was moving once again, dragging Taeil along. The latter didn't mind at all. He actually enjoyed Jungwoo's endless energy and childlike excitement.

“I think you can. Won't they sting you, though?”, Taeil wondered as he peaked down into the separate basin. Stingrays were swimming around in a big circle, trapped for visitors to see them up close.

Jungwoo was also showing hesitation. “But it says you can touch them,” he mumbled, still unsure.

“Just go for it,” another voice interfered. Jungwoo didn't have to look up to know that it belonged to Lucas. He just had this deep, manly tone.

His thick accent and beautiful smile wasn't too bad either.

Tense, Jungwoo watched Lucas touching the surface. A stingray swam by, not even affected by the light touch.

“How does it feel?”, he wanted to know.

“I don't know. Slippery?”

“Eww.”

Taeil laughed at Jungwoo's disgusted face.

“It's really fun. You should try,” Lucas urged.

For some reason, Jungwoo felt like he had to do it now. Wouldn't Lucas be impressed if he succeeded?

A high-pitched squeal later, Taeil was on the floor laughing and even Doyoung, who had come by to take a look as well, needed to hold onto the rim while bursting into a fit of laughter.

Jungwoo was just so effortlessly funny.

“Wah,” Jungwoo breathed after the shock had subsided. Nothing had really happened; it had just been the weird feeling on his fingers that had caused him to overreact.

“I got so worried, Jungwoo! I thought it had hurt you!” Lucas walked over, a worried expression on his face. If Jungwoo's heartbeat hadn't been already through the roof, it definitely would be now.

“I'm fine, though! I was just surprised.”

With a mix of coughing and laughing, Taeil managed to get up onto his feet again. “He's always like this. Jungwoo, you scared everyone.”

“But you laughed at me!”

“Because we know you,” Doyoung explained. Taeil nodded and Lucas finally let out a laugh as well.

“Guys! There are real crocodiles over there!”, Jaehyun yelled from across the aquarium. Everyone turned around at the same time, their eyes filled with curiosity.

“I'm not gonna pet them this time!”, Jungwoo yelled as he was sprinting towards said area.

Once again, laughter were filling the place.

***

Whenever Lucas entered a room, heads would turn.

He was used to people staring in fascination, sometimes even admiration. It wasn't just his looks; it was how he presented himself. Lucas was oozing with confidence wherever he went.

From head to toe, he knew he had it. From his dark hair, to his big, endearing eyes, all the way across to plump lips. Even his jutting ears made him look attractive.

But he wasn't the only one in this apartment with such amazing visuals. It was a new experience for him. Not that it was a bad one, because he felt like people could relate to him.

Jaehyun was one of the people Lucas had noticed right away. He was a little older and also seemed quite confident. Maybe not as confident as Lucas, but in order to work as a model, it was necessary to be aware of his own worth.

“You are always so good at cooking”, Lucas noticed as he was looking over Jaehyun's shoulder. The latter had been cooking for the past hour after they had returned back to their place.

“I'm a cook for a reason,” Jaehyun explained with a laugh.

“Oh, right.”

Lucas laughed along, embarrassed by his own stupidity. Now he remembered that Jaehyun was indeed working as a cook.

“Sorry, I forgot.”

“Don't worry about it. Sometimes I even struggle remembering everyone's name. We have been getting so big.”

“I think it's fun. The more the merrier.”

“Mhm.” Jaehyun was tasting the base of his dish, his face concentrated.

“Can I assist you?”

Lucas felt so out of place just standing there doing nothing. The others had made their way to the grocery store already, buying the necessary items for the main course.

“Sure. You could peel the vegetables for me.”

Lucas was eager to learn. He admired Jaehyun for having those amazing cooking skills while also looking so handsome. He could probably work as a model as well but had chosen to be a chef instead.

Determined to make a good impression on his friend, Lucas started washing the potatoes and then grabbed the peeling item Jaehyun had given him, his gaze focused.

Jaehyun was watching him every now and then but tried not to disturb. In fact, he was thankful for a little help, since Taeyong and the others wouldn't be here for a while.

Taeyong and Jaehyun were a well functioning team when it came to cooking. They just knew how to work together after years of being together. In fact, Taeyong would be his oldest friend if he really thought about it. They knew each other for quite some time now.

Around two hours later, Lucas had learned some new skills and the apartment had gotten loud again.

“I'm taking over.”

Taeyong was already wearing his apron upon entering the kitchen, a determined look on his face. Jaehyun shook his head.

“It's fine, I'm already on it.”

After the groceries had arrived, Jaehyun had taken care of opening and washing them immediately. He got why Taeyong wanted to take over, but it really wasn't necessary. Jaehyun rarely got tired of cooking a meal for his friends.

“Sure, let's cook together then.”

And they did, backed up by their new assistant Lucas and another volunteer Jungwoo, who had really wanted to help out as well. Doyoung would usually function as another skilled chef, but this time he concentrated on teaching Jungwoo and Lucas how to properly handle and prepare the ingredients.

The rest of the group automatically took care of setting the dining table and cleaning the living area, so they could relax after their special dinner time.

“Sorry,” Lucas whispered as he bumped into Jungwoo on accident while scooting over to the sink. Jungwoo shook his head and waited patiently for Lucas to move back, his eyes staring at the tall boy beside him.

But how could he not? Whatever Lucas was doing, Jungwoo just had to stare. He had never seen someone so handsome, someone so attractive and alluring. Jungwoo would turn into a complete coward, frozen in place and unable to get closer, even though he really wanted to.

Maybe now was the perfect time to get brave. Jungwoo just had to try.

“Guys, dinner is ready!”

On second thought, after dinner would probably be an even better time.

Any time food would come into play, the whole apartment went silent. Well, aside from any kind of eating noises and occasional compliments to the cook. This time, Jungwoo felt just as proud as everyone else who had been in charge of the kitchen.

“You did really well,” Doyoung praised him. “You have some skills, Jungwoo. I can teach you some more if you want to.”

“I would love that.”

Jungwoo's grateful smile always got him. Doyoung had gotten attached to the younger boy so quickly and was even surprised about it himself. He really wanted to see him grow up well, because Jungwoo had turned out to be extremely talented. Whatever he was touching, he ended up mastering it.

Languages, sports, comedy; he could do it all. Jungwoo was the definition of a genius mind inside of a pretty face.

The only flaw Doyoung could think of was how easy Jungwoo would get distracted. At this very moment, Jungwoo's eyes had lost complete focus after turning towards Lucas.

Daydreaming was one of his favorite activities throughout the day. His body wasn't the only active thing; his mind usually went wild as well.

On the other side of the table, Haechan was trying to get his friend's attention.

“Mark.”

Yuta frowned as he looked over to Mark. There was no reaction at all.

“Mark.”

“Haechan, what are you doing?”, Yuta wanted to know.

“Talking to Mark.”

“You call that a conversation?”

“No, he's not responding.”

“But why?”

“He's mad at me.”

“Why would he be mad at you?”

“Would you two please stop?!”, Mark shouted in frustration.

Haechan let out a victorious squeal.

“Mark, you can hear me!”

“Unfortunately,” Mark mumbled, his face buried between his arms.

Yuta thought it was funny. “Come on, Mark. I'm sure Haechan didn't mean it.”

“You don't even know what he did.”

“Well, yeah, but he always means well.”

“Exactly.”

Of course Haechan would agree.

“Are you two done ganging up against me?”

“No,” they responded in sync, grinning proudly from ear to ear.

Mark could only sigh in defeat. Haechan however didn't miss the corner of his lips curving upwards. He knew Mark wasn't really mad at him.

“I'm sorry,” Haechan whispered regardless while softly nudging his best friend. “But me and Johnny wanted you to rest. Let me make it up to you.”

“How?”, Mark asked. He was suddenly curious.

“I'm gonna think of something.”

“Oh god, please don't start thinking.”

Mark knew that nothing good was ever coming out of Haechan's head.

“You can't tell a genius not to think,” Haechan explained, his confidence way over the top. “That's like... telling a fish not to swim.”

“Dear lord, give me strength.”

Yuta was shaking his head in amusement before turning to the other side. Haechan and Mark's bickering would never lose its humor, but Jungwoo was sitting next to him; the perfect person to start a conversation with.

Yuta wasn't fond of boring people; Jungwoo definitely wasn't one of them.

“Are you daydreaming again?”

“I'm not.”

“What are you staring at?”, Yuta wanted to know while trying to figure out the right direction. “Ah, I see.”

Jungwoo's eyes got big. “What? What do you see?”

“Nothing.”

Yuta couldn't hold back a laugh after seeing Jungwoo's shocked face. Usually, Jungwoo would be pretty good at responding in a playful way. This time however, Yuta had caught him off guard.

“It's a nice view, isn't it?” Yuta leaned in close, so no one else could hear him. This time around, Jungwoo's mouth was hanging wide open.

“Stop that!”, he snapped.

“What's going on? Are you fighting?”, Doyoung asked after turning to the side. He had been talking to Taeyong all this time, blending out the noise around them.

“We would never,” Yuta assured with an innocent smile, his arm placed around Jungwoo's shoulders.

“I hate you,” Jungwoo hissed. He was pouting; a sign that Yuta didn't have to worry. If he had made his friend seriously upset, he wouldn't go on like this.

“You love me,” Yuta countered. At that, he was faced with Jungwoo's playful tongue.

“Hey! That's not how to show respect to your elders!”

“Maybe if you start acting older than me.”

And just like that, Jungwoo had gained back his confidence.

And he probably didn't have to be worried about his little secret. Yuta would never miss an opportunity to tease, so he probably wasn't aware of it.

Or was he?


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pricked by thorns, one should not desire the mesmerizing bloom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaand I'm back! Quicker than expected lol I hope I can manage to finish chapter 3 just as fast, but knowing myself, probably not. 
> 
> Don't worry tho, I'm gonna get there eventually. I really like this whole concept I have in my head. I hope you en

After a tiring day at work, Taeyong would seclude himself in his room. It was necessary for him to get enough rest, which he would achieve by living out his creative side.

Taeyong just had a neck for drawing and painting in any type of way. It didn't matter if he was mindlessly doodling on a piece of paper or drawing on a random object. These days, Taeyong loved to transform new pairs of shoes by drawing on them, giving them a unique and artistic look. After he felt fully satisfied with his work, Taeyong would either keep them around or sell them online.

It was a convenient way of making a few coins while gaining the relaxation he needed.

Usually, Taeyong didn't like to get distracted along the way, since he wanted to be focused. The smallest thing could ruin his concentration, which was why he had decided on Jaehyun as his roommate. Jaehyun wasn't loud; he wasn't someone who would talk a lot or stay up all night. He had this skill of remaining undetected if he really wanted to.

Of course they had very different working schedules, but they still managed to make it work. Taeyong didn't feel disturbed around Jaehyun at all.

Even after getting home late from work in the middle of the night, Jaehyun would be able to finish his day without waking or bothering his friend. He would turn on some of his favorite music, relax in bed and eventually go to sleep. Taeyong couldn't remember a single day he would have woken up because of him.

Taeyong didn't even notice when the door opened and his roommate Jaehyun entered, clearly tired from work. One could tell by the smell that Jaehyun was working as a chef, but Taeyong didn't mind. In a few minutes, Jaehyun would take his shower and it would be gone.

“You are still awake.”

“I couldn't put it down,” Taeyong explained as he was observing his work. He was still not finished with the shoe on his lap, but he already felt very good about it. He felt calm and relaxed, and that was the most important part.

“Looks really good. I'm impressed,” Jaehyun said as he took a closer look. A moment later, he disappeared into the bathroom to take a shower.

Even the sound of water splashing against the shower booth was somehow relaxing to Taeyong's ears. After a few more minutes, the first yawn urged him to stop and he finally put down his pen.

With a content groan, Taeyong allowed his limbs to get a much needed stretch. He had already been to the bathroom hours ago, so he wouldn't have to deal with all of that after already being too tired. The only thing left was changing into a comfortable pair of clothes.

And when he was finally lying in bed, Taeyong's eyelids felt incredibly heavy.

To his own surprise, sleep just wouldn't come. Even Jaehyun was taken aback after eventually getting out of the bathroom.

“Taeyong?”

The room was only lit by a single lamp, but Jaehyun could still see two familiar eyes blinking towards the ceiling.

He recognized this kind of look.

“Mh?”

“Are you worrying again?”

Taeyong's head moved, his gaze finding focus. “I'm not.”

It was Taeyong's way of saying that he absolutely was.

“Who is it this time? Mark?”

Sometimes, Taeyong hated Jaehyun for knowing him so well.

“Go to sleep, Jaehyun.”

“Take your own advice,” Jaehyun countered with one of his sweet smiles. He had already blow-dried his hair and now Taeyong almost couldn't see his eyes. Jaehyun never failed to amaze him with the crazy amount of hair he owned. It was mind-blowing.

“I just don't know what to do. When we had our dinner, he looked like he was about to pass out.”

Taeyong was referring to their special event last saturday, which he couldn't stop thinking about. The picture of a sleepy Mark sitting at the table had ingrained itself into his mind, causing countless worries.

“Taeyong.”

Jaehyun's voice didn't sound judgemental. It was deep and calming, like it always would be. But especially when he was about to take care of a friend, it would turn extra soft.

Unfortunately, Taeyong had a weak spot for that and would be unable to argue.

Their beds weren't too far apart, so they could look at each other even after Jaehyun had made it into his own bed. Taeyong was already covered tightly by the blanket, his face barely visible.

“You need to stop worrying.”

“Look who's talking,” Taeyong mumbled. He sounded like a scolded child. His words were muffled by the pillow, but Jaehyun could still hear him.

“At least I have a solid reason.”

“I do too!”

“Mark is old enough. He's not a baby anymore.”

“He's my baby, though. I'm a mother of nine,” Taeyong insisted.

Jaehyun cleared his throat at that.

“Fine, eight,” Taeyong corrected himself, making Jaehyun laugh.

“I can't believe you created this mess. What were you thinking?”

“I guess I wasn't,” Taeyong admitted.

“Mhm. Or you just couldn't say no.”

“Yeah,” Taeyong said. “I do that a lot.”

“Seven times, apparently. Excluding me and Doyoung.”

After all, Jaehyun and Doyoung had been added by Taeyong's own request.

“I'm too tired to do math, Jaehyun. Let's sleep now.” Taeyong yawned, snuggling deeper into the blanket. His eyes were already closing for good. “Good night.”

Jaehyun shook his head and snickered. After reaching for the lamp beside him, the room went dark.

“Night, hyung. Sleep well.”

***

“Coming!”

Taeyong was heading to the front door after someone had rung the bell. It was probably just a delivery, considering the amount of times they would order something online. Living with so many people also meant receiving a lot of packages. Luckily, there was always someone inside the apartment.

“Oh.”

Taeyong's smiling face had faltered after opening the door. He really had been expecting a delivery, but by the looks of it, the person in front of him wasn't a delivery man.

Unless delivery men looked like really cute guys nowadays.

Out of the blue, Taeyong remembered that Yuta was home as well, since he had his day off. In a matter of seconds, he had put the pieces together.

“Yuta!”, he yelled, loud enough so his friend would get alarmed. The cute guy was still standing there, his expression getting more and more overwhelmed.

“Hello, I'm here to see Xuxi,” he said with a very obvious accent.

“Xuxi...?”

Maybe this guy wasn't here to see Yuta after all. Maybe he had just knocked on the wrong door.

“Yeah, Xuxi. My friend,” the guy explained with a smile. He looked really adorable like this. “We wanted to learn korean together.”

“Ah, I'm so sorry, I don't know any-”

“Xuxi!”, the guy interrupted him mid-sentence as he lunged forward. It took Taeyong a moment to realize that Lucas had appeared behind him.

“Winwin, you made it.”

“You are Xuxi?!”, Taeyong asked, completely confused. But then, it made sense. The accent, which was similar to Lucas', and the fact that this guy wanted to learn korean.

Lucas always tried to improve his korean whenever he would find the time.

“Yes, that's my chinese name”, Lucas explained.

Taeyong felt embarrassed. Most of all, he felt guilty.

He had suspected Yuta right away. Lucky for him, Yuta hadn't shown up yet.

“I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, Hyung. It was decided last second.”

“It's okay. You two go and learn.”

“Thank you so much. It was nice to meet you.” With a polite smile, Winwin went inside with Lucas.

Taeyong needed a moment to clear his thoughts. He really didn't know Lucas had chinese friends, and he definitely hadn't known his chinese name. Then again, they usually didn't talk as much.

One could definitely feel the language barrier. Hopefully, it would get better with time.

“Taeyong?”

Yuta was wandering around the apartment, looking for his friend. He could have sworn he had been called earlier. Since his last discussion with Taeyong, Yuta wanted to stay on his good side. They needed to get along and life was always easier if Taeyong didn't have anything to nag about.

His search however ended without any success. If Taeyong really wanted to talk to him, he would probably try again.

Yuta shrugged his shoulders and went back towards his room, when something made him stop at once. He was standing right in front of the dining area, his eyes glued to the foreign boy sitting at the table with Lucas.

Nobody had told him they had a guest. Not that Yuta was eager to greet people, but he was immediately intrigued by the beauty in front of his eyes.

How did Lucas find people like these? If all of his friends looked like that, Yuta wanted to be part of that group.

“Hey”, he greeted casually as he finally decided to walk in. It was actually quite hard not to keep staring, since Lucas' friend turned out even prettier up close.

“Hyung, nice to see you.” Lucas sent him a quick smile. “That's my friend, Winwin.”

Winwin bowed very politely, making eye contact. “Nice to meet you.”

“The honor is all mine,” Yuta answered with his usual charming smile. He had grabbed himself a chair, so he could sit with them.

“I didn't know you had such nice friends, Lucas. Why did you never invite him over?”

Lucas frowned. “He just came to Korea. We know each other from back home.”

“Oh.” Of course, Winwin was obviously chinese. His accent had given it away. “What are you doing? Learning something?”

“Practicing korean. We both can't write very well,” Winwin explained. An open text book was right in front of him, already filled with some korean words.

“Also pronunciation,” Lucas added.

“I see.”

At this point, Yuta had decided to stay. But why would he not? He had a weak spot for pretty guys and Winwin perfectly fit his taste.

Yuta just needed to find a way to get to know him even better.

“I do have some free time right now. What if I help you out?”

Lucas frowned, again. “You are japanese.”

“So?” Offended, Yuta raised his eyebrow. “I'm as good as any korean.”

“He has a point,” another voice interfered. It was Taeyong, who had been sitting at the counter this whole time. He was enjoying a freshly made bowl of cereal. After this quick snack, he would return to work, since it was in walking distance to their place.

He usually went home during his lunch break and cooked himself a quick meal. Today, a snack needed to do the trick.

“See? I'm really good at korean. Lucas, you should know.”

One could see from his expression that Lucas wasn't convinced yet.

“It would make it easier to have a teacher”, Winwin said. He seemed to like the idea.

Yuta would have squealed in delight if it would have been appropriate. He knew Lucas couldn't say no to that.

But honestly, would anyone be able to do so? Yuta didn't know anything about Winwin but this guy already had him wrapped around his finger just by sitting there.

“Okay, fine,” Lucas sighed.

Yuta tried his best to hide the victorious smile, clearing his throat.

“Okay. Watch and learn.”

***

Thanks to Yuta, it had turned out to be a very successful learning session. Not only Winwin had learned a ton of new expressions and pronunciations; Lucas was also impressed by his own improvement. Maybe having a teacher wasn't such a bad idea after all.

To his surprise, Yuta had offered his help in the future as well, if they ever happened to come together again.

Lucas made sure Winwin had safely gotten into a taxi before he turned around to go back into the building. They were living on the seventh floor in a very big, spacious apartment that definitely looked more expensive than it actually was.

Taeyong had good connections to apartment owners due to his family and had managed to make a good deal. Until now, everyone had always brought in enough money and even if short passes would occur, they would probably be able to find a solution.

“Lucas!”

Before Lucas was able to enter the building, he heard Doyoung call his name. The latter was walking towards the entrance, packed with shopping bags.

Jungwoo was following right behind, carrying the rest of it.

Lucas could only hope that they had also bought some food.

“I'm gonna park the car. Can you two bring everything inside?”, Doyoung asked.

“Sure.”

Lucas immediately picked up the bags and went inside with Jungwoo. It wouldn't be a problem getting everything to the apartment, since they had a good amount of spacious elevators.

“He couldn't help himself. I think he bought the whole store,” Jungwoo explained with an amused tone after entering the elevator and putting down Doyoung's clothes. “He felt bad for making me wait and bought me a pair of shoes.”

“Doyoung is very generous.”

Jungwoo nodded. “He is. I would have waited either way, though. I don't mind.”

Lucas smiled and pressed the button to the seventh floor. It felt a little foreign to be alone with Jungwoo. They hadn't had much interaction yet, though Lucas could see he was a very nice guy.

Jungwoo on the other hand felt completely tense after the door had closed. They were alone, yet he felt unable to speak. He had never experienced something like this before.

And when he thought it couldn't get any worse, the elevator came to a sudden halt.

“What-” Lucas blinked and waited a few seconds to see if the door would open up. It didn't.

This had never happened before.

“The elevator is stuck,” Lucas realized. “I'm gonna call the emergency. They should be there, right? Jungw-”

He turned around and froze. Jungwoo was standing there pressed against the wall, his eyes wide open and his mouth agape.

“Jungwoo? Are you okay?”

It didn't take long for him to realize that Jungwoo was not. The latter was breathing quite heavy, Lucas' question falling onto deaf ears.

But before Lucas could take care of his friend, he needed to make that call.

“Hello? We are stuck.” After pressing the emergency button, nothing happened. He didn't know if there was supposed to be anyone at all. Maybe just pressing the button would do the trick.

“Stupid thing”, he cursed before pressing it one more time. Then he went over to Jungwoo, who had sunken down to the ground.

“Jungwoo, are you alright? Are you scared? You don't have to be.”

Jungwoo's panicked gaze was answer enough. At this point he had started gasping as if he wasn't getting enough air.

“Look at me,” Lucas whispered in a serious tone. He was holding onto Jungwoo's upper arms to keep him stable while trying to find the right words.

If his suspicion was correct, Jungwoo had a panic attack.

“We are not in an elevator. Look at me,” Lucas repeated until he was sure that Jungwoo was directly looking into his eyes. Lucas went even closer, so their surroundings would get blocked from Jungwoo's view.

“We are outside. The weather is so nice, right? It's really sunny today.”

Lucas was doing whatever he could and even showed a little smile. To his surprise, it seemed to work. Jungwoo nodded his head, waiting for Lucas to go on.

He just needed to concentrate on something else and Lucas would do his best to make it happen.

“You went shopping with Doyoung, right? I bet he bought a lot of clothes.”

“He did,” Jungwoo breathed. His voice was shaking.

“I'm curious, what did he buy? Tell me,” Lucas urged. He only realized he had made a mistake when Jungwoo's eyes suddenly started wandering.

“No, no!” Lucas grabbed Jungwoo's hands, keeping him from turning towards the shopping bags. “Don't show me. Tell me.”

“I... I can't remember,” Jungwoo whispered. He felt lost, since his mind was all over the place. He knew he was still stuck in an elevator, but tried his best fighting against the thought of it. He really wanted to be somewhere else; Lucas presence was already helping a lot.

“Close your eyes.”

Jungwoo blinked at Lucas. Then, he closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh. It actually made everything better. He could feel Lucas was right there, holding his hands.

“Can you remember now?”

“I think so,” Jungwoo said, the confidence coming back. “Doyoung really wanted to buy a new pair of jeans. I told him they all look great, but he didn't believe me. He's never satisfied.”

Lucas smiled. Jungwoo's voice had turned normal again, which meant it was working.

“He eventually bought two, because he couldn't decide. Sometimes I think he's worse than-”

“Hello?”

They both froze at the voice coming out of the speaker. Lucas got up immediately and went towards the door.

“Yes, we are stuck here! Please help.”

“Someone is coming, don't worry. You will be out in a bit. Are you alright?”

“Yes. Yes, we are.”

Jungwoo wouldn't say he was alright, but after knowing that they would get out soon, he was getting there. Even after opening his eyes, it suddenly felt different.

Maybe because Lucas was catching his attention right away.

“Just a little bit longer,” Lucas promised after sitting down in front of his friend again. Jungwoo scooted closer for a hug, so he could feel safe until someone would get them out of here..

“It's okay, Jungwoo. You know you don't have to be scared when I'm around,” Lucas explained. “And not just around me.”

But Jungwoo was glad it had turned out to be him. Doyoung was a very important part of his life, but he would have panicked as well. They spent their whole day together since they were roommates and worked at the same company, so he knew.

Lucas was just so different, as if he didn't fear anything in this world.

“Jungwoo! Lucas!”

Doyoung was all over Jungwoo the moment they stepped out of the elevator. “I was so worried! Are you okay? I'm so sorry.”

“Don't be sorry, Hyung,” Jungwoo assured in his usual soft voice. “Lucas was taking care of me.”

“I'm so glad. Come, you need to rest now. I'm carrying the bags.”

Truth be told, Jungwoo's legs were still shaking. Usually, he would always help whenever he could.

“I'll take care of it, Hyung,” Lucas insisted as he was collecting the bags. Doyoung had brought a few other ones, but Lucas could handle it. “You take care of Jungwoo.”

And Doyoung did. The moment they had reached the apartment after taking the stairs, Doyoung prepared a bath for his friend. In the meantime, Jungwoo was waiting in the kitchen with Taeyong, who already prepared dinner.

“Wow, I didn't know this could happen. They usually maintain the elevators every month.”

Jungwoo nodded quietly. It felt relaxing just watching Taeyong cook. His mind urgently needed some rest.

Fortunately, Taeyong didn't push the conversation. They just quietly lend each other company. In the background, the food was slowly coming together.

“Hyung?”

“Hm?”

Taeyong didn't look up. He was completely concentrated on seasoning his dish. After sprinkling some salt and adding lemon juice, it was ready for the first taste test.

“Have you ever been in love?”

The spoon clashed onto the table, Taeyong suddenly choking. This was not the type of question he had been prepared for.

“Hyung! Are you okay? Sorry, I... was that too sudden?”

Jungwoo regret ever asking this kind of question. He had made this day even worse.

“Yes,” Taeyong said with a weak smile after gulping down a glass of water. He breathed in and out, slowly calming down his throat.

“Okay. I'm fine now,” he assured. “And to answer your question; yes.”

“Really?” Jungwoo couldn't believe his ears. Not only had he received a clear answer; it surely was a surprising one. Of course Jungwoo didn't doubt Taeyong's ability to find a partner; it was more about his personality. He didn't seem like the flirty type.

“Mhm.”

The question had thrown Taeyong completely off. It made him uncomfortable, but he wanted to be a reliable figure Jungwoo could turn to with his worries. Usually, Doyoung would be the one doing exactly that, but Jungwoo probably had a reason to come to Taeyong with it.

“It was a long time ago, though.”

Jungwoo's head turned sideways, the curiosity visible in his eyes.

Taeyong laughed after thinking back to those times, embarrassed. “I was around 16, I think. We... just happened.”

He wished he wouldn't remember so clearly.

“Wow. So you fell in love and then... broke up?” Jungwoo didn't know how to ask something like this properly. He didn't want to seem rude.

“Yeah, we eventually broke up. Some things just... aren't meant to be, I guess,” Taeyong explained. He had a smile on his face. It looked sad; his whole expression had turned gloomy.

“Oh.” Jungwoo's gaze faltered. This was not what he had been expecting from this story.

“But I'm glad it happened. Falling in love is a wonderful experience,” Taeyong added.

“How does it feel, Hyung? Can you describe it?”

Taeyong paused at that. Yes, he was indeed able to describe it.

“It's... you feel so different. You look at this person and you gain so much strength. You feel like you can do anything,” Taeyong explained. “You aren't afraid of anything anymore.”

His words hit Jungwoo like lightning. Yes, yes he knew that feeling.

“I'm sorry, Hyung. I hope it wasn't too hard for you.”

“No, no.” Taeyong shook his head. “Don't worry. It wasn't a bad break up. We are still friends.”

“Oh?! You are?”

“Yeah.” There was a change in Taeyong's face as it slowly lightened up. “We are closer than ever. I'm really happy like this.”

“You have to introduce her one day, Hyung! I want to meet her.”

Taeyong's eyes went big at Jungwoo's request. He hesitated to answer.

“Sure.”

Jungwoo had this adorable smile on his face. It was as contagious as ever, so Taeyong didn't even have to try to lift his own mood. It had gotten pretty down with this kind of conversation. He usually tried to avoid thinking about things like this.

“Hey.”

After a moment of silence, Lucas was the one who broke it this time. He walked into the kitchen after smelling the food, a smile on his face.

“Smells amazing, Hyung. What are you cooking?”

“Kimchi stew.”

“I can't wait.” Lucas sat down at the kitchen counter beside Jungwoo. “Are you feeling better, Jungwoo?”

“Yeah, I'm fine.”

“Good.” Lucas gave him a pat on the back. “If you follow my advice, you will be fine next time.”

Next time.

Jungwoo froze. He hadn't thought about next time.

But of course, he couldn't just take the stairs. It would take forever.

“Ah... you think so? I'm not sure.” Slight panic was rising inside of his head. He would have to use the elevator again. Day after day.

Lucas seemed to be surprised about his reaction. “You don't look too sure. Jungwoo, maybe you should take the stairs.”

At this point, Taeyong looked over his shoulder for a split moment, following the conversation.

“Are you this scared, Jungwoo?”, he asked.

Truth be told, Jungwoo felt absolutely terrified. “I can't take the stairs. It's... what am I supposed to do?”

Taeyong realized the sudden change in demeanor. Before he could interfere, Lucas had already reached for Jungwoo's hands and sent him a warm smile.

“If you don't want to take the stairs, I could accompany you,” he offered. Taeyong couldn't help but smile at Lucas' amount of empathy. It made him realize that this handsome man was more than just a pretty face. Lucas could be very kind and loving, even if he acted like the biggest fool sometimes.

He always made an effort to clear any sort of tension and Taeyong appreciated it a lot.

“You can't just come down every time I need to use the elevator,” Jungwoo mumbled and shook his head. He couldn't look into Lucas' eyes and turned his gaze towards Taeyong. “I'm... gonna try. I think I can do it if I just close my eyes.”

“I'm sure you can do it, Jungwoo,” Taeyong said. “And I'm sure Doyoung will be there for you as well.”

“Don't talk about me behind my back.” A grumpy looking Doyoung suddenly appeared, making Taeyong laugh. He wasn't surprised, because they would often bicker like a married couple.

“Your bath is ready, Jungwoo. Are you coming?”

Jungwoo hated to leave Lucas' proximity, but he had to. Before he left, Jungwoo looked up into his big eyes and smiled, wanting to show his gratitude.

And when Jungwoo was finally gone to claim his hot bath, Taeyong still stood there, staring into space.

“Wow.”

Taeyong didn't even realize that Lucas was beside him, tasting the food. “Hey!”

Laughing, Lucas quickly took a step back. He knew that Taeyong hated any kind of interference in his work.

“I'm letting it slide, since you were so nice to Jungwoo.”

“He had a panic attack in the elevator. It must have been really bad. I felt sorry.”

“You don't have to be. It's not your fault.”

“I know. But still.” Lucas covered his face with his hands, sighing. “I don't want people to be like this.”

“You are a good guy.”

“Someone has to be,” Lucas whispered, more to himself.

“What was that?”

“Nothing,” Lucas assured as he looked at his friend again, a smile on his face. Then he got up, pulling up his sleeves.

“I'm gonna set the table. I can't wait to eat.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! And earlier than I would have thought lol I hope there are people out there enjoying the story because I certainly do. 
> 
> Have fun reading!

It was already eight at night, but for Yuta, his day wouldn't be over just yet. As a waiter, he wasn't blessed with regular working hours; especially compared to his friends. It didn't really matter to him because he always wanted to give it his best and work hard, but sometimes Yuta would get hit with this sense of loneliness that definitely made things harder. Having to work with customers really didn't mean that he was getting a lot of social interaction.

Today however, he was working alongside Mark and Jaehyun.

As one of the restaurant's chefs, Jaehyun's place was in the kitchen. He would be back there cooking for the whole night, barely having any interaction with Yuta or Mark at all.

But it didn't matter to Yuta. It wasn't just enjoying their breaks together; it was the feeling of being around someone he would call a friend. Jaehyun was a rather quiet person, but Yuta enjoyed his company just as much as Marks.

“Mark, are you okay?”

Mark didn't register the voice right away. The background noise had gotten louder, though it may also be because his head felt really dizzy. Yuta had probably noticed before sneaking over to him behind the counter.

“I'm okay. It's just a little headache,” Mark assured with a smile. He was about to walk past his friend and take some more orders when he felt himself tripping over his own feet. Yuta caught his arm just in time.

“Mark! That doesn't look like you are okay.”

“No, really. I'm fine.” Eager to get away from more uncomfortable questioning, he tried to get out of Yuta's strong hold. Of course his friend wasn't letting him leave just like that.

Yuta knew that Mark had been at school right before getting to work. He looked worn out and it didn't come as a surprise to him at all. Mark was known for being overly dedicated, may it be to studying or working.

“If you aren't feeling well, you should go home.”

“Go home? Hyung, I have to work!”

“You don't if you are gonna pass out in the middle of the restaurant,” Yuta whispered. Then he dragged his friend along, still holding onto Mark's arm.

“I'm getting you home.”

“What?! No!”

“Mark, look at you. Your face is pale, your legs don't even work. And your head hurts? I'm not gonna risk this.”

“Hyung, I am telling you! I'm fine!” Mark was getting frustrated. He knew that Yuta only meant well, but he didn't want to leave. He wanted to push through like he always did.

Yuta probably realized and stopped right in front of the door, turning towards Mark. “You are my friend. Besides, Taeyong would kill me if I let this happen.”

“They are gonna fire me on the spot if I leave!”

“I'm gonna talk to the manager, don't worry. I'm just getting you home and then I come back. We will be fine, Mark. It's the middle of the week.”

The number of customers had been relatively low today, so Yuta did have a point. Still, Mark wasn't fond of this idea at all.

“I'm not gonna leave and burden everyone.”

Yuta rolled his eyes. Without a word, he dragged Mark out of the restaurant.

“Hyung! Are you listening to me?” Mark didn't try to escape Yuta's grip. It would be pointless. “Why are you so cruel?”

“Get used to it.”

And with that, Mark didn't have any more chance to go against his friend. They were already standing in front of Yuta's car, looking at each other.

“Mark, please.” Yuta let go of Mark's arm. His expression clearly showed how concern had abruptly replaced frustration. Mark knew this kind of look; he hated it.

He didn't want people to be worried. He just wanted to be left alone and do his thing.

“If they fire me, you are owing me a new job,” Mark mumbled as he got into the passenger seat. He wasn't happy with giving in so easily, but he knew that Yuta could be relentless and would eventually be able to change his mind. They were actually pretty close friends and it was one of Yuta's very annoying traits.

By leaving work just like that, Mark felt awful. He felt like losing to himself.

“It will be alright, Mark. I promise.”

Mark had to admit that the dizziness was still prominent even after they had entered their apartment. His body felt tired and weak; maybe he should really take a nap. It would probably be fine after a while and he could at least study some more to make himself feel better.

“Rest, do you hear me? If you need anything, please tell the others. I'm gonna be around for a little longer. I need a coffee before I go back.”

At this time of day, plenty of people should be around by now. Yuta had already spotted Johnny sitting in the living room. It was exactly where he headed after making sure that Mark would go to bed.

“What's wrong? Why are you home?”

Johnny looked up when Yuta came into the living room. Usually he wouldn't think anything was wrong since Johnny didn't know anything about Yuta's working schedule, but the fact that Mark was home as well at this time of day felt really out of place.

They all knew Mark had to work after school and wouldn't come home until at least midnight.

“He wasn't feeling too well,” Yuta explained after sitting down next to Johnny.

“And you persuaded him? Wow. What did you do? Put him in handcuffs?”

Johnny chuckled before taking a sip of his coffee. Yuta noticed, his eyes scanning the cup.

“Well, almost. It wasn't easy. Hey, uhm... do you have some more?” Yuta was pointing towards the dark liquid with a sly grin. Johnny laughed.

“Sure, it's in the kitchen. I just made some.”

In a blink of an eye, Yuta had disappeared into the kitchen, coming back with a freshly brewed coffee. He couldn't believe he was this lucky. Whenever Johnny would make coffee, it was something extraordinary.

He just had a neck for it. Yuta sometimes wondered why Johnny worked in a clothing store when he could have been a barista.

“Woah.”

Yuta's eyes went wide after tasting the coffee. It wasn't a regular coffee; it wasn't something he had ever tasted before actually.

As expected from Johnny.

“That's amazing.”

“Isn't it?” Pleased with himself, Johnny kept sipping proudly on his delicious masterpiece.

“You have to share your recipe.”

“Huh? No chance. It's a Johnny exclusive.”

“That's not very-”

“Mark!”, a voice suddenly interrupted Yuta, coming from outside the room. It sounded like Haechan.

“Mark, get back here!”

Mark and Haechan rushed into the room, the latter trying to catch up to his friend. Mark however stopped after a few more steps, turning around.

“I told you, I don't want to talk about this right now.”

“You never want to talk about it!”, Haechan complained, visibly upset. After he had noticed his friend being home, he just wanted to know the reason behind it. They were best friends after all.

These days however, Mark didn't have any time to talk to Haechan about anything anymore.

“Haechan, my head feels like exploding. Not right now.” Running around the apartment probably didn't help, but Haechan could get so persistent. He just wouldn't listen to Mark. Not that Haechan ever listened to anyone.

“Haechan, that's enough”, Yuta interfered as he stood up. This was getting out of hand and someone had to step in. Johnny had already put down his cup but decided to let Yuta handle the situation.

“He doesn't feel well, that's why I brought him home.”

Haechan blinked, confusion written all over his face. Now he knew, but it still didn't make sense.

“Why are you trying to study if you don't feel well? Mark!”

“Study?” Yuta turned towards Mark, confused. “I thought you were resting.”

Mark felt pressured. He didn't understand why everyone was getting into his business. “We have a test soon. I need to catch up on things.”

“You need to rest!” Haechan moaned in frustration. “I can't believe you. Why won't you ever give in? Your body is telling you that it's too much!”

Haechan's loud voice was causing Mark's headache to worsen. He didn't want to deal with any of this right now. Without saying a word, Mark turned around and left the room.

“Mark!” Haechan sprinted forwards, only to get pulled back by a strong hold on his arm.

“Get out my way!” Haechan snarled after realizing it was Yuta. The latter however didn't budge.

“Leave him alone, Haechan.”

“I'm not gonna listen to someone like you.”

If looks could kill, Yuta would have been dead by now. Haechan's was glaring at him.

“Someone like me?”

“Let me go.”

“No.”

Haechan's answer was a push against Yuta's chest. Yuta felt the aggression behind his action and immediately grabbed Haechan by the neck.

“Don't make me teach you some manners, kid,” Yuta hissed dangerously.

“Guys! Stop!”, Johnny yelled, alarmed. He got up from his position to force them apart, but it was already too late. Haechan had pushed his friend once more, causing Yuta to stumble backwards.

“Nobody needs to respect a whore like you!”

The moment those words had left Haechan's mouth, he knew he had crossed the line. He knew he had let his worries and anger get the best of him, turning into an unstoppable explosion that nobody could ever get warned about.

The next moment, karma literally slapped him right across the face.

To his surprise, it wasn't Yuta.

“Johnny...”, Yuta whispered in shock at the sight in front of him.

People expected Haechan to get upset. They even knew that Yuta could get pretty riled up, but Johnny? Johnny was a calm, composed person. He was tall and strong, but couldn't hurt a fly even if he wanted to.

Usually, that is.

Haechan was zoned out, the shock visible in his face. He had never been good friends with Yuta. Yuta wasn't someone he was eager to get to know. The things he knew about Yuta had always kept him on distance.

But Johnny? Johnny meant so much to him. He was like a second father to Haechan.

“Get out,” Johnny's deep voice ordered. One could hear the anger behind it. His expression didn't look too friendly either.

“I- I'm s-”

“Get out!”

Haechan flinched. After taking a few steps back, he scurried out of the room.

Johnny and Yuta stood there in silence for what felt like hours. During this time, Yuta realized what had happened. He realized what Haechan had said to him and how much those words actually hurt.

“He didn't mean it.”

It was Johnny who broke the silence.

Yuta didn't react at all. From one second to another, he turned around and grabbed his jacket. “I'm going back to work.”

“Yuta.” Johnny put a hand on his friend's shoulder. It actually made him pause. “He didn't mean it.”

Yuta wanted to laugh so bad. There would have been nothing more fitting to convey his feelings better at this very moment.

“Of course he did. Just because nobody is saying it, doesn't mean nobody is thinking it.”

Johnny was taken aback. “What? Yuta, that's not how-”

“It's okay, Johnny,” Yuta interrupted. He was already getting into his jacket. “Haechan wasn't wrong, you know.”

And with that, Yuta went out the room and back to work. He didn't want to hear any more of this.

He had just wanted to take care of his friend.

***

Haechan knew he was an extrovert. He loved being with others; loved playing around or just feeling someone's proximity. He needed an outlet for the immense amount of energy he had and this group of people was the best thing that had ever happened to him.

But living with so many people also meant not being able to have any privacy. At least to a certain extend, since Haechan only shared a room with one person - Taeil.

He would have never thought that it could be so difficult to get away from everyone.

For the first time ever, Haechan really wanted to be alone.

Fortunately, there was a place that nobody would go to and where he could clear his mind after what had happened. There was a small rooftop above the building's last floor – the sevenths floor, their floor.

It was empty at this time of day, though Haechan didn't think it was used at all. Maybe for a small barbeque party with friends or family, but even the grill looked like it hadn't been cleaned in forever.

Sighing, Haechan lifted his arm to wipe his eyes. He wasn't someone to cry. Only close friends had witnessed his emotional side, including Mark and Taeil. Usually, Haechan preferred to hide something like this.

After a few deep breaths, Haechan leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. The night sky looked very pretty, but he didn't think he deserved to see any of it. His mind was all over the place and he didn't know how to cope with messing up like this. He was usually very confident and admired his own way of being so honest and bold.

And then there would be times when he hated himself for not being careful enough about other people.

The wind had gotten cold pretty quick and caused goosebumps all over Haechan's skin. He didn't want to get sick, but what was he supposed to do? Go back into the apartment? No, he would rather embrace the cold and wait until everyone was asleep.

After all, he deserved any kind of penalty after what had happened.

Just a few moments later, his eyes fell shut again. He could feel how his body was longing for a warm bed and a good nights rest. Just then, a touch on his shoulder caused them to snap open again as Haechan turned around in shock.

He felt terrified until he realized what it was.

“Hyung!”

Taeil was standing right behind him with a blanket in his hands.

“I was looking for you, silly. Don't just disappear without saying a word.”

There was so much worry in his voice that Haechan wanted to cry all over again. New tears were already forming in his eyes and he quickly turned away to hide behind both of his arms. Taeil was in front of him almost immediately to pull him into a hug. “No, don't cry. Please.”

“Go away.” Haechan tried to push his friend away. It was a weak attempt, set up for failure. “I don't deserve any of this.”

I don't deserve you, he thought to himself. Taeil always felt like such a blessing; he felt like the softest pillow Haechan could always lean on. No matter what, Taeil would be by his side.

“Don't be silly.”

Taeil's warm embrace eventually stopped Haechan from fighting back. He was too occupied fighting back the tears as the warm blanket got wrapped around his freezing body.

“You know, don't you?”

When Haechan looked into Taeil's eyes, it was completely blurry. And still, he could definitely make out that really endearing smile.

“I was looking for you when you didn't come back. Johnny told me.”

Johnny.

Haechan buried his head in Taeil's chest at once, a sob shaking his body. Taeil seemed surprised but only tightened his arms around his friend's body while patiently waiting for him to calm down. He knew that Haechan would be fine after just letting it all out.

“I'm sorry,” Haechan apologized between sobs as he looked up again, wiping his eyes a few times. He felt the need to apologize to Taeil, even if it didn't make any sense. He felt like he had disappointed his friend and lost all of his trust.

“Don't be.” Taeil gently pushed back strands of light brown hair. “I know you. You didn't mean it.”

“I didn't,” Haechan assured. “I really didn't.”

At least there was one person believing him. It was enough to finally calm him down. Slowly, Haechan took a deep breath.

“I got so angry with Mark,” he explained. He knew he didn't have to. “He never listens to me. I always try to make it easier for him but... we talk so much less now. Am I too much? Is he avoiding me?”

New tears were blurring his sight, but Haechan just let them be. Eventually, They would cover his rosy cheeks, clearing his vision.

Taeil knew how much Mark meant to Haechan. They had both joined the apartment together and were best friends since forever. Haechan usually wouldn't show it, but Mark had a lot of power over him. Haechan would cling onto him a lot, giving and needing affection in order to function properly.

Taeil knew how it felt, since Haechan would do the same to him. The difference between him and Mark was, that Taeil really enjoyed it. Mark never seemed to be the affectionate type.

Then again, they knew each other for so long, so Mark was probably used to it by now. It couldn't be the reason for avoiding Haechan like this.

“Maybe he's just tired and stressed.”

“You're probably right,” Haechan whispered before he cleared his throat. He felt better, much better. “I guess we both got really angry at each other.”

For a split second, Haechan had to laugh about himself. Saying it out loud made it sound so simple.

“What am I gonna do now? Hyung?” With expectant eyes, Haechan looked at Taeil.

“I think you already know, don't you?”

The pout on Haechan's face made him laugh. Yes, Haechan definitely knew.

He had to apologize.

“I'm scared, though. What if nobody cares and just... ignores me?”

“They won't.”

“Yuta definitely will.”

The fact that he had to talk to Yuta was terrifying. Haechan got the shudders just thinking about it.

“You will see,” Taeil said as he wiped a few tears off his friend's cheeks. “But you better do it now, or you won't be able to sleep.”

Haechan groaned. “But Hyung!”

It could have been so nice going to bed and snuggling with Taeil until he fell asleep. Of course it wouldn't be that easy.

Haechan knew It shouldn't be that easy.

“Come on, it will be alright,” Taeil tried to calm down his friend while gently rubbing his upper arm. “Do you want me to come with you?”

“No,” Haechan immediately said, shaking his head. His expression had turned serious. “This doesn't involve you. I... have to do this.”

And with that, Haechan followed Taeil back inside the building. The blanket had helped a lot to keep him warm and he definitely needed to take care of his body some more, but now he just wanted to get through with this.

Maybe Mark would be asleep already? Haechan didn't know how long he had been up there and what had happened during this time, so he couldn't know.

His heart was pounding hard against his chest as he knocked at his friend's door before opening it right away. For a moment, his heart stopped at the sight of not only Mark, but also Yuta.

This was not what Haechan had been expecting.

“I- I'm just gonna come back later,” he said in a state of panic and immediately turned around.

“Haechan! Wait!”, Mark's voice held him back. When Haechan turned back, Mark was already up close. The latter hugged him tightly, leaving Haechan speechless.

Another moment Haechan would have never expected. Maybe his brain played tricks on him.

“I'm sorry.”

“What? No! No, I'm the one who needs to be sorry!”, Haechan said, confused. He had barely reacted to Mark's hug and just stood there awkwardly. Usually, Mark wouldn't show much affection towards him and he should have been already over the moon about it. Considering the circumstances, Haechan wasn't able to enjoy any of it.

“I wasn't too nice either,” Mark replied. He had stepped back, trying a smile.

Haechan didn't understand. Mark shouldn't be the one feeling bad about anything.

“I'm so sorry, Mark. Honestly.” When Haechan's voice was about to break, he took a deep breath. No, he wouldn't cry in front of Mark. Especially not in front of Yuta, who was watching from the back.

“It's okay, Haechan,” Mark assured as he got closer again. “I know you.”

For the first time in hours, Haechan smiled. Mark definitely did know him.

“I'm not the only one, though,” Mark whispered into Haechan ear before glancing towards Yuta. Then, he walked past his friend to leave them alone.

Haechan froze in shock.

Yuta was looking at him, his expression unreadable.

“I'm not mad, you know. It's fine,” he said while turning his head to another direction. Yuta was playing with his fingers, a habit that showed how uncomfortable he felt.

Instead of answering, Haechan walked up to him. It caused Yuta to not only look up, but also stand up from his place on the chair. For a moment, he seemed alarmed because Haechan didn't say any word as he kept approaching him.

To Yuta's surprise, Haechan ended up hugging him very carefully. No matter what he thought about Yuta, it shouldn't be a reason to throw assumptions into his face. If Yuta really was a bad person, he wouldn't be acting like this. Haechan had expected him to be mad, really mad.

Yuta eventually returned the hug. It somehow felt even more awkward than before.

“Sorry,” Haechan apologized for the second time as he broke the embrace. He didn't even know if Yuta was fond of any kind of affection, so he needed to be considerate. “I really didn't mean it.”

“It's fine. We both got a little heated there, huh?” Yuta chuckled, somehow relieved. “Let's just forget about it.”

“Forget about what?”

“Well, that we almost-” Yuta frowned when he realized that Haechan was grinning. He had been messing with him.

“Oh. Got it.”

They both laughed. Taeil had been right; apologizing had been crucial to clear the air. Actually, it was exactly what all of them had needed before ending the day and Haechan felt proud of himself for being brave enough to go through with it.

Mark was standing at the door with a smile while watching two of his best friends making up. Before Yuta had come to his room after finally getting off from work, Mark had gotten a lot of rest and felt much better than before.

Of course the main problem wasn't solved at all and Haechan would definitely get upset again, but this wasn't something he wanted to think about now.

***

Mark hated the sound of his alarm going off. He hated himself for not getting enough sleep and wandering around the apartment more asleep than awake until he would get his first cup of coffee and start to feel better.

Sometimes he wasn't even sure if he was still dreaming when leaving his room, even if he had already showered and put on his uniform. Especially today, Mark couldn't believe his eyes when he entered the kitchen.

“Haechan?” Bewildered, Mark walked up to his friend, who was standing at the counter. He kept rummaging through the kitchen drawers. “Are you cooking?!”

And sometimes, Mark hoped that he was indeed still dreaming.

“Isn't that obvious?”

Haechan briefly looked over his shoulder before acting like it was just another normal morning. Of course he knew that it absolutely wasn't, because he would never decide to cook. He would never try to or even show interest in something like that, especially if they had so many skilled cooks in this household.

Today however was different because he needed to do this. He needed to get this weight off his shoulders and do something to show that he felt regret.

“I'm... not sure. Do you know what you are doing?” Mark watched his friend washing some vegetables and then getting two eggs out of the fridge. He didn't know if he should be alarmed just yet. “Why are you up so early anyway?”

Another thing that felt very out of place.

“Because I wanted to cook.”

“You- But why? Haechan, you never cook!”

“I felt like it.” Haechan shrugged his shoulders. Mark was just so confused.

“Let me help you.”

“No! Go away!”, Haechan whined as he tried to block Mark's way. This would completely defeat the purpose if Mark was helping.

“You can't cook for so many people without help! Haechan, come on!”

Haechan crossed his arms in front of his chest, his eyes now solemnly focused on his friend. “Last time you cooked an egg, everyone kept laughing about it for weeks.”

“Wha- Hey!” Offended, Mark let out a snort. “Says the one who almost burned down the kitchen once.”

“That wasn't my fault!”

“Sure, and the towel lit himself on fire.”

“Well, obviously!”

“Morning,” a sleepy voice interrupted their playful bickering. After realizing who it was, they both went silent.

“Morning, Johnny.”

“Morning,” Haechan mumbled before scurrying back to his ingredients. His heart felt like bursting again. He hadn't been talking to Johnny at all since yesterday.

Fortunately, Johnny didn't talk much in the morning and he also didn't really care about anything except his coffee, so Haechan wasn't surprised when he heard the sound of coffee beans getting shred.

“I said no!”, Haechan hissed after realizing that Mark had snuck beside him.

“I'm letting you do the eggs, don't worry.”

With a frustrated sigh, Haechan complied. It actually was really sweet of Mark to help and it would probably be a lot more fun than doing it alone.

The question was, if anyone would even get something edible to eat before going to work.

Taeyong never had any issues getting up early in the morning. He didn't know why, but his body just didn't require that much sleep, which he was indeed very thankful for. He needed to take care of a lot of things in the morning and when everyone was still asleep, tasks like cooking or doing laundry wouldn't be too much of a hassle. Doyoung would often join him and Taeyong appreciated it more than anything because he knew that his friend needed much more sleep than he did. Forcing himself to wake up just to help Taeyong was the kind of thing that described Doyoung's personality perfectly.

He cared a lot about others, but in his very own, very secretive way.

So it wasn't a surprise to Taeyong that he could already smell food coming out of the kitchen. Doyoung was probably taking care of it, so Taeyong could slow down and maybe wake up the others. Especially Taeil and Haechan had trouble getting up in the morning.

However, when he went by the rooms, Taeyong came to a sudden halt. It was still very early in the morning, so it didn't make sense that Yuta would have his lights on. The latter would often start working after noon and didn't have to get up so early.

Driven by curiosity and something else, Taeyong decided to knock on his door.

“Yuta? Can I come in?”

“Sure, why not,” was the answer that made Taeyong open the door. With Yuta he had to be careful when it came to just bursting into his room without any allowance.

Yuta was standing in front of his body-length mirror while putting on some lotion. His long hair was pulled back by a hair tie, freeing his pretty face so he could properly take care of it. Yuta did have a beautiful face and Taeyong often heard about him not being very satisfied with it. He seemed to be quite picky with his physical appearance.

“Is something wrong?”, Yuta asked after finally turning around. Taeyong had quietly found a place on Yuta's bed, patiently waiting.

“No, not really. I was just wondering why you are up so early.”

“How did you- Oh, the light, huh? Damn, I can't hide anything from you.”

Taeyong laughed. “No, you can't.”

And suddenly, Yuta had a suspicion why Taeyong had knocked on his door in the first place.

“I heard about what happened yesterday,” Taeyong said, proving him right.

“What a surprise.”

Yuta really didn't want to talk about this now. He had already shoved it into the furthest back of his mind. There was nothing more to talk or think about.

“Look, Taeyong. We talked to each other, we apologized. It's fine.”

Maybe Yuta was right. Maybe Taeyong's motherly side had been too strong and it really wasn't necessary to bring it up. The issue had been solved as far as he knew.

But still, Taeyong really wanted to talk to Yuta about it.

“You know it's not true, right?”

“Hm?”

“What Haechan said about you.”

Yuta hesitated to answer. He really didn't want to answer a question like this.

“Taeyong, please. Can we not talk about this now? I haven't slept very well and I'm not in the mood.”

To Taeyong, it was one more reason to stay.

“I just want you to know that he didn't mean it. And not just him.”

“I know.”

Yuta had turned towards his own reflection again. It wasn't the best decision to avoid his friend, since he could see his face through the mirror.

“I really like you, you know.” Taeyong knew that turning away from him meant more than just having to put on some more lotion. “Like a lot.”

“Are you confessing to me right now? Because if you are-”

“Yuta!”

“Okay, okay, go on.”

“I'm trying to say that there is a place for everyone here, yourself included.”

Yuta had stopped massaging his cheek and acting like it was some necessary task he had to do right now. He kept staring at himself in the mirror, spacing out. When Taeyong walked up to him and put a hand on his shoulder, Yuta snapped out of it almost immediately and turned towards his friend.

“No touching without a proper confession.”

Taeyong laughed at that. It was such a typical Yuta thing to say.

“Doyoung cooked breakfast. You better hurry before it's gone.”

The promise of freshly cooked food was indeed a good way to lure him out. Yuta was glad that this conversation had finally ended. Taeyong had already made his way out of the room.

“Taeyong?”

“Hm?”

Taeyong was about to close the door but stopped after hearing his name.

“Thanks.”

He couldn't see Yuta's smile, but he knew it was right there. He also knew that it was probably hard for Yuta to open up like this, especially to him.

“You're welcome.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pricked by thorns, one should not desire the mesmerizing bloom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, hello! I am finally back and I am really sorry that it took so long but I was really really sick and yeah... I was feeling awful for a whole week until I got better. I usually wanna try to keep uploading within a shorter period of time <3 Bear with me.
> 
> I hope you enjoy this chapter! It turned out longer than expected.

“It's a B,” Yuta announced after handing back the paper. It was graded carefully, since this was not a real test and Yuta wanted his students to stay motivated. In his opinion, he would have been a great teacher.

“Are you serious?” Winwin couldn't believe he had done so well. He kept scanning the paper, but there was nothing suspicious about it. Sometimes, Winwin felt like he was treated better than Lucas. Then again, why would Yuta even do that? He didn't seem like someone who would favor one over another.

It felt nice to actually see his own improvement. Winwin usually didn't do too well on tests, especially back in school. Maybe Yuta really had been the missing piece in properly learning korean.

Yuta nodded, satisfied with himself. He loved seeing Winwin happy. He loved seeing the glow in his eyes and this adorable smile that could melt Yuta's heart in just a matter of seconds.

“Woah, that's so good,” Lucas said with a hint of jealousy. He hadn't gotten his grade yet, but Winwin surely deserved to be the winner here.

“Don't worry, you aren't too bad either,” Yuta assured as he handed over Lucas' result. The latter immediately raised his fist up into the air, his expression prideful as he let out a victorious scream. The other two burst out laughing at Lucas' exaggerated silliness. His random antics would never fail to brighten the mood.

“I'm really proud to have such talented students,” Yuta said after leaning back in his chair. He felt equally accomplished, since their results were linked to his quality of teaching. And it was nice to teach his friends a new language while spending time with his favorite person in the world – Winwin.

Yuta had learned a lot about Winwin during their teaching sessions.

After getting signed up by Lucas' modeling agency, Winwin had developed a close friendship with him. Since they both knew the struggles of being a foreigner, Winwin had been so thankful to be by Lucas' side during those rough times. The easiest tasks had been frightening in the beginning, but Lucas would help out whenever he could.

Yuta also knew how it felt like to be a foreigner. He could relate to a lot of issues regarding that and it had also brought him closer to both of them.

He also understood why these were inseparable now. Lucas was such a comfortable person to be around. He would always keep up the mood, try to make everyone comfortable and be there for anyone.

And even though Lucas was just as new to this country as Winwin, he had this immense amount of confidence that would get him through any new situation. Sometimes, Yuta wondered how he did it.

“Are you still looking for a place?” Yuta asked out of nowhere. Winwin and Lucas were writing down some new phrases they had learned after celebrating their results. After all, if they wanted to get better, there was no time to rest.

“Ah, yeah,” Winwin said. He wasn't even looking up, still concentrating on his writing. Yuta smiled as he kept watching him. It was so sweet how Winwin would wet his lips and stop for a second to think about the right word.

With a short glance over to Lucas, Yuta took the chance. “So... why aren't you moving in with us?”

“Huh?” Lucas' head shot up. Even Winwin had put down his pen. They both looked like deer in headlights; much to Yuta's confusion. Had they never thought about this solution?

“Yeah, wouldn't that be perfect? We have enough space and Taeyong really likes you.”

At least Yuta assumed he did. Then again, Taeyong never disliked anyone. He probably would be thrilled about the idea of Winwin moving in.

Yuta however still wondered why nobody reacted like he thought they would.

His friends only exchanged glances.

“We already asked about it,” Lucas explained. Now this was something Yuta hadn't expected to hear.

“What did he say?” He wanted to know.

The smile on Lucas' face felt so out of place. “He said no.”

“What? You must be kidding.”

“No, he did,” Winwin assured.

“I think he said something about not knowing Winwin enough.”

Yuta frowned.

“I guess he doesn't know him too much,” he mumbled, clearly disappointed.

“It's okay, Hyung. I'm sure I will find a place soon. Don't worry.”

Of course Yuta wasn't worried about that. He just wanted to have Winwin around all the time. Also, the chance of Winwin getting assigned to his room was pretty high. It would sent Yuta over the moon if it would actually happen.

“And if not, we will ask again,” Lucas promised.

“Yeah, sure,” Yuta sighed. Something felt so off to him, but he couldn't put his finger on it. Usually, Lucas could wrap everyone around his finger, especially Taeyong. Yuta knew that, he had seen it multiple times.

Why wouldn't he fight for his friend like that as well?

“Winwin? Do you want to come over tomorrow? We always have something really fun planned on Saturdays.” It was Yuta's last chance to save the situation.

Winwin sent him a smile. “That sounds great, but I have a job tomorrow. Might take the whole day.”

Now, Yuta's mood was completely ruined.

“But you have fun, okay? Xuxi told me about your weekends. I think it's great.”

 _It would be much better with you,_ Yuta thought to himself.

“Yeah, they are. Taeyong is a genius at organizing.”

***

“Good morning, everyone!”

A joyful Taeyong stood in front of the massive dining table, his eyes wandering around. He was full of excitement and energy, ready to start the day. And today would definitely be a very special day, because he had a lot of things planned.

Breakfast had already been served by his best friend Doyoung. But despite many hungry stomachs, everyone's eyes would immediately shoot up after witnessing Taeyong's presence.

Nobody said anything, waiting for someone else to ask the highly desired question. Taeyong's smirk couldn't get any bigger at this point.

“Where's Jaehyun?” Johnny asked.

“He's out. Preparing,” Taeyong explained in a very secretive tone.

“Tell us already!” Haechan whined, his expression full of frustration. He was about to explode of curiosity about today's event.

Saturdays had never been more exciting.

“This time, I thought we could do something healthy,” Taeyong started with an innocent smile. He could already hear some annoyed sighs and unhappy faces, but they would surely disappear after time.

“Don't tell me we are going to the gym,” Yuta said, suspicious. He wasn't hating on any kind of sport or physical activity, but Taeyong made it sound so boring.

“Nah, that wouldn't be exciting. I was thinking of... a nice hike?”

“Hiking?!” Haechan dramatically through his hands into the air. If there was something he hated the most, it would be taking a walk outside.

“Let's call it hiking for now,” Taeyong said, laughing. “There's a really nice place in Chuncheon. You will see.”

“So, you are not gonna tell us anything,” Doyoung realized as he was looking up to his friend. Taeyong shook his head and everyone moaned in frustration.

A group of curious people was definitely easier to handle than a group who already knew a thing or two about the exciting activities Taeyong had planned. And not just Taeyong; he and Jaehyun had spent nights thinking about various things they could do.

They couldn't wait to show all of their hard work to everyone else.

The weather was perfect. The sun had been shining since early in the morning and despite the low temperature, Taeyong couldn't be mad about it. Summer was finally gone and some refreshing winds would definitely help the occasion.

After arriving at the mentioned place in Chuncheon, they had to take a short walk in order to find the right spot. It was a well known path along the river with lots of greenery; a perfect place for some weekend activities.

This time, Taeyong really wanted to strengthen their bond as a group and because of that, he had put a lot of thought into it.

“What's this?” Jungwoo asked after they had come to a sudden halt. He could see a white line on the ground right in front of him. It didn't seem too natural.

“It's a race,” Taeyong explained to everyone. The majority of their group seemed rather excited about it, which was comforting to say the least.

“I'm gonna put you in teams of two now. We will be playing three kind of games today,” he added as he looked down onto the paper he had written earlier. Planning the teams had been a very hard choice, but Taeyong felt good about his decisions.

“The winner team of each game will be able to decide one course for dinner later. There will be a three course meal tonight.”

After mentioning teams, everyone started looking around with hopeful eyes. Taeyong thought it was funny, because nobody would be able to decide for themselves. No, that would have been way too easy. Also, there had to be a good balance so each team was fairly put together.

Luckily, Taeyong knew about everyone's strengths and weaknesses.

“Haechan,” Taeyong called. The youngest one seemed tense, awaiting his partner. “You will be with Johnny.”

Haechan's heart dropped.

Johnny, who he hadn't talked to since their encounter with Yuta. He hadn't been brave enough to do so, now definitely feeling regret. It was too late to clear things up.

“You do know that you've just created the winner team, right?” Johnny joked as he walked towards his team mate. Taeyong laughed.

“We will see.”

Haechan was avoiding eye contact. He felt horrible, but he also knew that it was probably without any reason. Johnny didn't seem mad or upset; he was acting quite normal. Maybe Haechan needed to stop worrying about past events and just move on.

“We are gonna win this,” he said, forcing himself to look up at his friend. Johnny was smiling at him.

“Oh yes, we will.”

A heavy weight was lifted off Haechan's chest. Now, he actually felt excited about his team.

“Mark,” Taeyong went on, looking around. “You are with Taeil.”

“Nooo, I'm jealous!” Haechan yelled all of a sudden, his dramatic expression causing Mark to crack up. Of course Haechan didn't mind, but being in a team with Mark or Taeil would have been just as amazing.

“Jaehyun,” Taeyong continued and turned around to look for his friend. After realizing that Jaehyun was standing right behind him, he laughed. Jaehyun had appeared out of nowhere after taking care of some last minute preparations, now curiously looking at the older one. Of course he already knew about the lineup, but a little bit of acting would keep the fantasy alive.

“You are with Doyoung.”

“Yes!” Doyoung celebrated right away. At least there would be someone with athletic skills on his team.

Taeyong chuckled before moving on.

“Jungwoo.”

Jungwoo swallowed thickly after hearing his name. He had already looked around to check his possible team mates.

“You are with Lucas.”

His mouth went open in shock. Jungwoo would be in a team with Lucas? And he wasn't dreaming?

“Woah, that's great!” Lucas said as he walked towards Jungwoo, immediately putting an arm around his shoulders. “We are the tall team, huh?”

Jungwoo laughed. “We are!”

“And lastly,” Taeyong announced, smiling. Of course there was only one more option now. “Yuta, you are with me.”

Yuta had already made his way towards Taeyong with an amused smile.

“You saved the best for last. Excellent choice,” he joked confidentially. Taeyong snickered.

“I know I did.”

Actually, he couldn't wait to get closer to Yuta.

***

Taking care of a pack of dogs was hard. Taeyong knew, because he had done it before.

Nine different people with nine different personalities however felt like a living nightmare. He should have been used to it by now, but seeing them freely running around in this rather small pathway was making Taeyong anxious.

He was the mother after all and needed to make sure that nobody would disturb their surroundings or cause any trouble. It wouldn't be the first time.

“Okay, guys! Attention!” Taeyong yelled into the crowd. It was swallowed immediately by excited voices and multiple laughters.

Just a moment later, a piercing sound made all of them shut up at once. Even Taeyong jumped in surprise before turning around. Jaehyun was blowing a whistle, literally saving the situation and Taeyong from screaming his lungs out.

“Thanks,” Taeyong muttered, slightly embarrassed before he cleared his throat. Now it was time to start the first game.

“Please, on your starting positions.”

With a hint of delight behind his eyes, Taeyong watched everyone gathering behind the prepared starting lines. Since he wasn't moving an inch, Yuta gave him a strange look.

After a while, everyone else followed Yuta's example.

Taeyong however had the biggest grin on his face. “Guys, that's not it.”

“What?” Johnny asked in confusion. Jaehyun seemed to be the only one laughing at the situation. He knew.

“Did you think I would let you run just like that?” Taeyong asked, amused. Everyone had been convinced about running alongside their partner, which had been Taeyong's and Jaehyun's initial idea. After realizing that the pathway would get way too cramped for people passing by, Taeyong had decided to add an interesting twist.

“This is a piggyback race, guys! Come on, get up on your partner!”

Multiple mouth were hanging open after his announcement. Only for a short moment though, because now they had to decide which one would do the racing part.

“Hop on,” Lucas urged after he bent down in front of Jungwoo, so the latter could climb onto his back. Jungwoo however still tried to fathom this new information, which completely threw him off. So, he really had to get carried by Lucas?

Usually, Jungwoo was very much used to physical proximity and even craved for it on a daily basis, but with Lucas, he had never been physically close. It made him incredibly anxious.

“Jungwoo?”

“Ah, yeah.” With a nervous laughter, Jungwoo finally complied. Lucas could eventually stand up with a tight grip around Jungwoo's legs, lifting him with ease. He didn't struggle at all.

“You are really light,” Lucas said, full of confidence. “We are gonna win this.”

Once again, Jungwoo felt frozen into place. The musky smell soothing his nostrils was so distracting that he almost forgot to hold onto Lucas' neck.

“I know. I'm counting on you.”

His voice had always been very soft and quiet; the perfect advantage in hiding the growing affection for his teammate. Jungwoo's cheeks were already burning, a smile gracing his features. No matter how hard his heart was beating against his chest, he would ignore all of it and enjoy every second of this race. Who knew if he would ever get so close to Lucas again.

Also, winning this competition couldn't be too hard. Jungwoo felt very confident considering their competitors. Maybe Johnny would be a tough one to beat, but other than that, they could easily make it.

With a tight hold around Lucas' neck, Jungwoo tried to find the perfect position. Fortunately for him, it turned out to be the one where he would lean his head against Lucas, almost snuggling against it. Right before the starting sound of Jaehyun's whistle (blown by a random bystander, since nobody would have been able to do it), his eyes even fell shut for a moment. It was getting harder to ignore the muscular body in front of him and the clingier he got, the more blood would shoot into Jungwoo's face.

Then, Lucas shot forward. Jungwoo had to hold onto him even tighter, so he wouldn't fall down. It was an exciting feeling, especially because Lucas went straight to the first position.

“You can do it,” Jungwoo cheered, his voice still calm and soft. It didn't really matter, since he was so close to Lucas' ear anyway.

Just moments after, the distance to the goal didn't seem too big anymore. It had never been far in the first place, but with Lucas' athletic skills, he made it seem even shorter. Just a few seconds more and Jungwoo would be able to celebrate their victory.

At least he thought so, until a figure appeared at the corner of his eyes.

To his surprise, it wasn't Johnny.

Jungwoo realized that he had failed his judgement about their competitors. Haechan and Johnny were farther back than expected, Taeil and Mark couldn't catch up at all and Yuta seemed to struggle with Taeyong's height on his back.

Doyoung's amused face had thrown him off immediately. Jungwoo looked completely shocked.

“See you at the finish line,” Doyoung mocked as Jaehyun got the lead. The latter was so focused on running that he didn't even turn his head or acknowledged any other team.

Lucas also had to look twice, since Jaehyun was the last person he had expected to turn up. It actually made him lose his focus, but it was too late anyway.

With a frustrated groan, Lucas reached the finish line in second place. He tumbled backwards and made sure Jungwoo could get off safely before landing on his knees, panting.

“We did it!” It was Jaehyun, screaming in excitement. Then, he let himself fall back onto his butt, laughing loudly. He felt so happy, a big smile visible on his face as he kept panting to regain energy.

He hadn't felt this good in ages.

All of the remaining team members eventually landed on the floor as well, their breathing heavy.

“Hyung, we did it,” Jaehyun repeated, this time very much out of breath. Doyoung was by his side with a bright grin on his face, showing his friend a thumbs up.

“Thanks to you.”

To a stranger's eyes, this would have been a very expected, pure reaction to winning; a normal sight you would see with two friends celebrating their victory.

But they weren't stranger's to Jaehyun.

They had never seen Jaehyun this excited and loud. They had never witnessed him being competitive at all.

Taeyong however wasn't surprised. He didn't even notice that he had the biggest smile on his face while watching Jaehyun and his teammate. It was a sight he hadn't been able to experience in forever, which brought even more joy to his face.

“... Hyung?”

Taeyong snapped out of his trance, faced with his own teammate.

“Shouldn't you announce the winner?”

“Ah!” Laughing, Taeyong got back up onto his feet to walk over to the winning team.

“Jaehyun's team wins!” He announced while holding up Jaehyun's and Doyoung's arms. Thunderous applause was the answer, to which Jaehyun kept bowing politely.

“Thank you. I really couldn't have made it without Doyoung's constant nagging.”

“Hey!”

Laughing, Jaehyun put an arm around Doyoung and pulled him close.

“I'm joking. You really helped a lot.”

Of course Doyoung already knew that, but he still really wanted to hear some praise. “I'm gonna help even more in the second game, don't worry.”

At least he was positive about the next game not requiring any athletic skills.

“Quiz time!” Taeyong announced after they had stopped for a quick lunch break. Even though the next game would be different than the previous one, he wanted everyone to be energized and properly nourished.

“Oh?” Mark's eyebrow was raised, intrigued.

“I'm good at guessing,” Haechan said after hopping onto Taeil's back. The race was already over, but there was never a wrong time to get close to his favorite older brother.

“Hyung, what is it about?” Lucas wanted to know. In the back of his mind, he was already contemplating how he could get his team to win.

“It's about your partner,” Taeyong explained with a smile. This game had been an important decision for him and he was happy that hey were finally doing it. “You will be asked one question about your partner.”

The questions had been a team effort, since Taeyong and Jaehyun would participate as well.

“Sit down, back against back. Don't look at each other.”

Knowing Haechan's antics, Taeyong had thought twice about this to prevent cheating.

“You are moving on if both of you get the correct answer.”

Lucas and Jungwoo were picked as the first team to go. They knew it would be hard. They were both the newest addition to the group, but Taeyong had taken it into consideration. At least he had talked about it with Jaehyun and was counting on him to choose his questions carefully.

It had been weird actually, because Jaehyun had insisted on creating the questions for those two. Taeyong didn't know the reason behind it and now he was eager to hear about it.

Jaehyun looked indeed very happy about doing this. The corner of his lips showed a slight grin before he cleared his throat to act more serious and professional.

“Jungwoo.”

Jungwoo had closed his eyes to concentrate. Would he even be able to answer any question about Lucas? They didn't know each other too well.

“How old is Lucas?”

Jungwoo's eyes shot open at once. He didn't know this. The only option was guessing, but it would still be risky. At least Jungwoo was aware of Lucas' seniority.

Jaehyun smiled a very satisfied smile. It may sound like a very easy question, but he knew that he had set Jungwoo up for complete failure.

_“Did he just call you Hyung?”_

_Jaehyun stood there with a frown. His goal had been getting something to drink, but after listening to a snippet of Jungwoo's conversation with Lucas, something felt very wrong._

_Lucas seemed surprised. “Yeah.”_

_“What do you mean 'Yeah'?”_

_“He always calls me that. I'm his Hyung.”_

_“No, you are not,” Jaehyun pointed out, a sly smile tugging at the corner of his lips. This was kind of interesting._

_“What?”_

_“You are younger than Jungwoo, silly.”_

_“No, that can't... why would he call me his Hyung then?”_

_Jaehyun shrugged his shoulders. “Trust me, you are younger by one year.”_

_Lucas' eyes went big. It shouldn't have been possible, since he naturally had those big, puppy-like eyes._

_“Does he think you are older?”_

_Jaehyun could have a point here._

_“I guess? I... wow, he is older than me? He doesn't look like it at all.”_

_In fact, Jungwoo looked way younger than he was and Lucas looked definitely older than his real age. There probably had been a misunderstanding._

_Jaehyun couldn't believe nobody had noticed until now._

_“That's so funny,” he said with a chuckle. “You better tell him.”_

_“What? No!”_

_Jaehyun frowned once again. “Why not?”_

_“He's already really shy around me,” Lucas explained. His voice had gotten quieter as he scanned his surroundings. Jungwoo was already gone, but he still wanted to make sure. “If I tell him, he's gonna feel embarrassed about it and it would get even worse.”_

_Jaehyun hadn't thought about that. According to Doyoung, Jungwoo was a very sensitive soul. He was also fairly new and had trouble getting close to some people. Jaehyun knew how it felt, since he was one of them._

_“That's really considerate.”_

_They smiled at each other. Maybe it wouldn't be too bad to keep a secret like this._

_“Just be careful you don't get busted, hm?”_

_“I will do my best.”_

Jaehyun had thought a lot about spilling Lucas' secret. As far as he could see, Jungwoo had gotten very comfortable around Lucas these days. Taeyong's intention for this event was to grow closer, which had basically given him permission to make this decision.

Jungwoo needed to see the side of Lucas that was hidden very well for anyone who wasn't too familiar with him yet. It was easy to get fooled by Lucas' strong features and his tall, intimidating appearance. Jaehyun wanted to show how caring and thoughtful Lucas could be.

Of course he didn't know that it wouldn't be Jungwoo's first experience.

“Twenty-five,” was Jungwoo's answer. He had thought about it very carefully and by the amount of silence around him, he was probably right. Some people however seemed very confused, including Taeyong.

Lucas was in shock the entire time. Since Jaehyun had named the question, his mind had went completely blank. Of course he hadn't expected something like that but after making eye contact with Jaehyun, who was sending him a reassuring smile, he started to calm down.

It wouldn't be that bad. Lucas didn't know why Jaehyun had decided to do this, but he trusted him.

“Wrong.”

Jungwoo's expression faltered, a defeated whine coming out of his mouth. He had ruined their change of winning.

“I'm so sorry, Hyung!”

“No.” Lucas turned around and slid his arms around Jungwoo's neck, so he could hug him from behind. “It's actually my fault.”

“I don't get it,” Taeyong murmured after nudging Jaehyun's upper arm. The latter had this endearing smile on his face while watching the first team.

“You don't have to.”

“Oh? So, we are keeping secrets now?” Taeyong laughed. Jaehyun behaved really different today, much to Taeyong's delight. “I see.”

“I'm telling you later,” Jaehyun promised, finally looking at his friend. “It's actually really cute.”

“I can see that.”

Taeyong had obviously noticed Lucas and Jungwoo huddling together. It was a rare sight, but it was also the reason why they had organized this event in the first place.

Jaehyun didn't feel bad about making Jungwoo and Lucas lose on purpose. Seeing how Lucas was trying his best to comfort his friend, it had been worth the risk.

“You are- what?! But- I thought you are older than me!”

“I also did, in the beginning,” Lucas explained. He thought it was cute how Jungwoo's lips puckered up because he was overwhelmed with the situation. “And when I realized, I didn't want to tell you.”

“Why? You aren't older than me after all.”

“Because it's cute,” Lucas said, showing his bright, signature smile. “I like being your Hyung.”

Jungwoo didn't know what to say. His eyes were wide open as as he stared at Lucas and tried to grasp what had just been said to him. For the second time this day, his cheeks started burning.

“But-”

“No buts.” Lucas firmly shook his head. “I'm your Hyung, got it?”

Jungwoo's mouth opened, only to get closed a moment later. Was he dreaming?

“Got it.”

Jungwo didn't really get it yet, but he had to say something. If he continued to stare at Lucas like a lovesick teenager, the latter would probably think he was a complete weirdo.

“Come on, it's Mark's turn! I need to see that!”

As if nothing had happened, Lucas was already back on his feet.

Jungwoo however sat there for a little longer, his gaze wandering around. For a split second, he made eye contact with Jaehyun, who sent him a warm smile.

This whole day was just so unpredictable.

***

After a lot of physical endurance and serious competition, the second game had been filled with joy. At some point, nobody really cared about winning anymore, because everyone was just so excited about the questions. Nobody had expected it to be so exciting and fun, but Taeyong and Jaehyun had made it work.

Even close friends like Mark and Taeil had trouble finding the right answers, which made Taeyong incredibly proud. After today, they would surely remember moments like this and maybe their friendship would bloom even more.

“Your turn,” Jaehyun said after Johnny and Haechan had been the first team to score both points. They were still celebrating with a victorious dance, but Taeyong needed to concentrate on his own teammate now; Yuta.

Before they sat down back on back, Yuta had given him a very specific look. Taeyong didn't know what it meant, but it had felt like someone looking right into his soul.

Yuta's gazes were something Taeyong would never get used to. Sometimes he would sit there and completely lose focus while everyone around him was laughing and having a good time. Other times he would just watch certain people with an unreadable expression on his face.

But it wasn't that Yuta didn't have any emotions, because he could indeed throw himself onto the ground in a fit of laughter or show massive amounts of affection towards certain people, sometimes even out of nowhere.

Yuta was so unpredictable that Taeyong couldn't wait to get to know him better.

With closed eyes, Taeyong heaved a deep sigh. He really wanted to do his best for the sake of their friendship.

“Taeyong,” Jaehyun started. “Tell me Yuta's birthplace.”

Mark had to press a hand against his mouth to avoid giving out any hint. Of course he knew, but would Taeyong know? Yuta usually didn't hide the fact that he was japanese and that he was born in a specific city, so it was likely that Taeyong would remember.

However, the amount of silence coming from Taeyong probably didn't mean anything good.

_“It's so nice to meet you.” Taeyong immediately smiled after sitting down in front of his guest. Today he would have some sort of interview with a possible new roommate. Jaehyun had told Taeyong about this japanese waiter working at his restaurant, looking for a place to stay. Of course Taeyong was curious what kind of person he would be dealing with._

_At first glance, Yuta really was a sight. Long, brown hair, tied into a ponytail. Taeyong couldn't really tell why, but even without Jaehyun's description, he would have guessed Yuta's nationality. He just looked so japanese._

_“Wow,” Yuta said with an awkward smile. “You look so handsome. Jaehyun didn't warn me at all.”_

_At that, Taeyong had to laugh loudly. Nobody had ever been so straightforward, especially someone who should be nervous right now. But Yuta didn't look nervous; he seemed pretty calm and almost comfortable._

_“Thank you,” Taeyong said. He was slightly blinded by Yuta's perfect smile, which made him pause for a moment. This guy was already so intriguing and unique that Taeyong wanted to let him move in immediately. But he couldn't do that; it would have looked really weird._

_“So, you are from Japan? That's so amazing. I can't hear any accent.”_

_“I've been studying a lot. I'm also living here for quite a while already,” Yuta explained, slightly embarrassed._

_“I really like Japan. I've been there before and can't wait to go again for the sakura season.”_

_Yuta's eyes immediately lit up. “You have to come to Osaka! It's absolutely stunning during spring!”_

_Taeyong was a little overwhelmed at Yuta's sudden burst of energy. He seemed so excited about showing this specific place to him._

_“That sounds nice. I haven't been to Osaka before.”_

_“You really should! It's my hometown and I absolutely love it.”_

_Taeyong smiled. “Then, I guess we should.”_

_“We?” Yuta looked a little bit surprised over there._

_“Yeah, sure. I mean, if we have a japanese resident living here, why would I go there by myself?”_

_Taeyong watched how Yuta's eyes got bigger and bigger, the realization dawning on him._

_“Does this- Are you gonna-”_

_“Yes. You can stay here.”_

_“But- are you sure? You haven't even asked a single question!”_

_Yuta had a point and Taeyong knew that. He had wanted to ask many questions and make a very careful decision, but somehow it wasn't possible. He had this strong desire to just skip all of it, so Yuta couldn't even think twice about it._

_“I've never been more convinced that someone would fit in here.”_

_Taeyong had never felt so confident in his decision. Jaehyun must have known it would work because he knew Taeyong's preferences in people._

_“Wow, that's... that's great.” Yuta could barely smile, the shock still visible in his face. He probably needed a moment to realize what was happening._

_“But, I... I still want to introduce myself properly. Can we do that?”_

_“Sure, no problem. I have a lot of time,” Taeyong said. Just then, Yuta finally returned the smile with one of his own, lifting the mood even more._

_Taeyong couldn't put his finger on it, but Yuta just had this effect on him. Not many people were able to demand Taeyong's attention like this._

_This was definitely his best decision yet._

Taeyong smiled to himself. Yes, he remembered. He remembered his first meeting with Yuta as if it had been just yesterday.

“Osaka,” he said confidently. He couldn't see it, but Yuta had a very proud smile on his face after hearing that.

“Correct.”

Taeyong obviously knew, but he was still very happy about the fact that he remembered. And when he felt Yuta's hand reaching for his own, Taeyong didn't think twice about squeezing it.

“Yuta, are you ready for your question?”

“Yes, I am confident,” Yuta said at once, his heart beating fast. Taeyong had scored the first point; now it was his turn to win the game.

“Tell me Taeyong's favorite animal.”

A gasp went through the crowd. Yuta didn't know if all of them knew the answer or if it was indeed way too hard, but it didn't matter.

He wanted to answer this correctly.

During his thought process, Taeyong kept squeezing his hand. It gave him the needed confidence, so he tried to think about any moment of Taeyong ever mentioning animals. It was a difficult task, since Taeyong constantly talked about all kinds of animals.

The question was, which animal was his favorite?

_“Oh? It says that you have a dog?”_

_Taeyong couldn't remember noticing this detail the first time he had read Yuta's summary. But here it was, black on white._

_“Yeah. Her name is Rapunzel.”_

_“Rapunzel? Wah, that sounds so cute!” Taeyong's eyes were sparkling with joy. He was immediately interested in getting to know more about this dog. “Do you have a picture?”_

_Yuta did. He didn't even budge in showing Taeyong a whole gallery of pictures and videos. Taeyong wasn't even aware of the noises he started making while watching Rapunzel running around chasing a tiny little ball. Yuta laughed along._

_“You like dogs, huh?”_

_“I work for a vet, what do you think?” Taeyong chuckled. “I love all kinds of animals. I used to have all kinds of animals back then, but I don't have the time anymore.”_

_“Oh, I'm sorry. I mean... I understand how you feel. Rapunzel is back home with my parents and I miss her a lot.”_

_“I know what you mean. It's hard, isn't it? You get so attached.”_

_Yuta stared at Taeyong for a moment after hearing those words._

_Yes, yes it was hard to get attached._

_“I promise to bring her over if my parents ever come visiting me here,” Yuta said, causing Taeyong to smile._

_“I can't wait to meet her. She looks like such a princess.”_

_Taeyong was already looking at Yuta's phone again, a giggle escaping his lips after the picture of Rapunzel popped up again. Yuta thought it was absolutely adorable._

_He couldn't wait to move in. Taeyong seemed like such a nice person and they already had so much in common._

Yuta swallowed hard. He wouldn't say that Taeyong had ever mentioned his favorite animal, but he surely loved all of them with his entire heart. Now, he had to make a decision.

“Taeyong doesn't have a favorite animal,” Yuta said after locking eyes with Jaehyun, who had been waiting for an answer. “He loves all of them equally.”

At this point, every single head turned towards Jaehyun. The latter had the biggest grin on his face after Yuta's answer.

“Correct.”

“You did it!”

Yuta was tackled to the ground a moment later, a joyful Taeyong throwing his arms around him. “I can't believe you had the right answer!”

“Me and you both,” Yuta laughed. It had been a random shot into the darkness after all. In the end, maybe he knew Taeyong better than he thought.

“Seems like we have a tie between two teams,” Jaehyun realized. “Taeyong?”

Taeyong had thought about this possibility. He quickly got up, so he could be in charge of the game again.

“There will be a final match,” he explained, his gaze wandering over to Haechan and Johnny.

“It's fine,” Johnny said with a smile. “You can have it.”

“What?!” Haechan stared at his friend. “You are giving up just like that?”

“They deserved it,” Johnny explained, shrugging his shoulders. “I mean, we already know each other so well, I don't need any proof.”

Haechan almost felt shy after hearing this. Considering they were talking about Yuta, maybe it was the right thing to do. Yuta had been through a lot because of him.

“Fine, you can have it,” Haechan mumbled while locking arms with Johnny. He was cuddling into his side with a content expression. “I'm not picky with food anyway.”

“Wow, that's so nice of you.” Yuta showed a grateful smile and already planned to get back to both of them for deciding the main course. He really wanted to order some high quality japanese food, but Haechan and Johnny definitely should have a say in it.

Of course, Taeyong did as well.

“Okay, guys. Short break! Don't go too far away, the next game will start soon!”, Taeyong announced, back to his professional self. Yuta thought it was amazing how he could switch so quickly between a loving friend and a serious leader.

Then again, he wouldn't be in charge otherwise.


End file.
